


Citrus, Cinnamon and Sugar Cookies

by Shingeki_no_erens_butt



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Christmas, Cute, Falling In Love, Fluff, M/M, Past Levi/Erwin Smith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-14 13:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shingeki_no_erens_butt/pseuds/Shingeki_no_erens_butt
Summary: When Levi Ackerman, a grumpy 32 year old, ends up having to travel alone to another state to meet his fiancé's parents for the holiday's, things get very mixed up. His suitcase is lost at the airport, he doesn't know where his soon to be in-laws live, and when a hot cocoa accident leaves his phone useless, Levi is left feeling helpless and irritated. But what happens when the bright-eyed man, and the cause of his strife, ends up being the best friend of his fiancé's brother?What are the chances of that?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fic, and I'm super excited to see how you all like it! I apologise for the poor excuse of a summary, I promise much more than it's letting on. I hope to be posting everyday until the 24th, with a bonus chapter on the 25th. I have most of the chapters ready to go, apart from the last two. 
> 
> Also, I'd like to mention that this is loosely based on a Hallmark Christmas movie by the name of "A Very Merry Mix-up." Because who doesn't like cheesy Christmas movies? 
> 
> Lastly, I also apologise for the little bit of eruri in this. It's noting explicit, and only in a few chapters. Endgame is definitely Ereri. Just thought I'd warn you all. Nothing against Eruri of course. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

My mother always loved antiques. When I was four, she opened up her own shop. Nothing but rows and rows of shelves filled to the brim with the most ornate and beautiful antiques you could imagine occupied the floor of the shop. Delicate floral patterns decorated pearly white china with their gold gilding. Chrome tea sets shone brilliantly in the sunlight that streamed in from the windows. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, sending their prisms around the shop like a light dusting of glitter. Vintage armoires, bookshelves and loveseats sat proudly along one wall, showing off the years of love they received from their previous owners. Hung on the walls around them were mirrors, clocks and paintings of every shape and size. The frames told stories, everything from dainty cherubs to woodland creatures to fierce beast carved into the worn wood.

The shop was her pride and joy. I remember how she would let me wander around and look at all the stuff she had collected. Just so long as I didn't touch anything.

Around the time I was fifteen, she got sick. But even though she got weaker by the day, she would still get up every morning and take care of her shop. I remember the way she would stumble around, looking like she was seconds away from falling to the floor. Her skin as pale as the old lace table cloths that she’d collected. Yet she remained strong, completing what needed to be done.

My father and I tried everything to make her better, but we were poor and health care was expensive. Even with all the second jobs and long, arduous shifts, it was never enough. The bills piled up faster than we could pay, and when she died in December, just a few days away from my eighteenth birthday, the bank repossessed her beloved shop. We salvaged what items we could, the rest the bank took as well.

What antiques we were able to keep ended up being stored in an old dusty shed near the house. For months it was like that, untouched and out of mind. I couldn't go anywhere near that shed, or the empty lot that used to host her precious shop. The memories just hurt too badly. December quickly became my least favorite time of year.

I eventually moved out of the house and into a shitty apartment that I could barely afford with my minimum wage job. But it was enough.

When I turned twenty-one, I decided to open my mom's shop back up, remember her the way she would have liked. Of course, I’d never be able to bring it back to its former glory, but I’d come close. A lucky break at work made this possible, and eventually the shop became busy enough for me to use it as my main source of income.

And that's how I got here, dusting off fragile antique pieces in a place that smells like moth balls and old perfume. Momma would be so proud.

December is one of the busiest months of the year for the shop, with Christmas just being around the corner. Honestly, this just seemed like the Universe’s way of saying f-you. Well, f-you too, universe.

Oh, and my birthday; that’s coming up too. On Christmas. Who the fuck is born on Christmas day? Oh yeah, me. And Jesus, if you believe in that.

With Christmas being only two weeks away, the store was bustling with activity. Everyone from husbands rushing to buy their wives a unique piece of jewelry to elderly women dragging their grandchildren along to look at antique toys were here.

It was getting late, only about half an hour until closing time. There were only a few people left in the store, so I preoccupied my time with a bit of dusting. At the melodic chiming of the door bell, I look up from my dust rag to see a familiar tall blonde enter the shop. Erwin gives me a smile and a quick peck on the lips as he finishes up his phone call, probably business related; that's all the man ever thinks about. I lean back against the jewelry counter and play with the gold band wrapped around my ring finger.

Erwin proposed almost a month ago, the cold metal still unfamiliar and foreign. I felt so unprepared when Erwin proposed. Not that I don’t want to marry him, I just wasn’t expecting it. He’s normally so predictable. I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not.

Erwin tugs at the sleeves of his suit and clears his throat, approaching me with a warm smile. One of his hands find my waist and he pulls me to him. No words are spoken for a short while as he glances around the store, examining it with a look I couldn’t quite place.

"I got another offer for the shop today. Quite a large sum of money too." Erwin says.

"Erwin, we've been through this before. I'm not selling the shop. It means too much to me." I say, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Obviously, this is your choice, as you own this shop, but please just give it some thought. It would be a hell of a business decision to sell." He suggests. “Trust me, I’m a business man.” His tone is light and teasing.

"I do trust you, but we're still not going to sell the shop." I grumble, moving away from him to reposition one of the knick-knacks on the shelf in front of me. I pick up the small doll, admiring the feel of the smooth porcelain. Though, the action is meant as more of a distraction than anything else.

"Okay, okay. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. But how about a change of topic? You know Christmas is coming up soon, why don't we visit my parents for the holiday? They've been dying to meet you. And now that we're engaged, ever more reason to meet them." He says, trying to wrap his arm around me. I move out of arms reach but stop just short, leaning back on the counter. I wasn’t too fond of him trying to sell something that has so much meaning to me.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure about meeting Erwin’s parent. I’m sure they’re great and all, but I'd much rather just stay home with a couple bottles of moscato and some shitty Chinese food. But they are Erwin's parents. I need to meet them sometime.

"Okay, I guess we could go spend time with them. Not the worst thing I could think of doing for the holidays." I say.

"Awesome. I'll book plane tickets as soon as I can. But I may have to book our tickets separately. I have a business meeting coming up that I cannot miss. I'll just fly down after the meeting, shouldn't take more than a day."

"Are you kidding me, Erwin? So you're planning on shoving me on a airplane, by myself, to go meet people I've never even seen in person before? Not to mention in a city I’ve never set foot in? That makes a lot of sense." I say. What the hell is he thinking?

"I know, I'm sorry. But I can't miss this meeting! I'm going to be discussing a huge upcoming deal. It could make or break me. You'll be just fine." Erwin says with a sigh. I roll my eyes.

"Whatever. Just book the damn tickets. After I close up, I’m going home and taking a shower." I say, turning my back to him and moving towards the check-out counter to lock up the register.

"Levi! Put something nice on when you're done, I made reservations for dinner." Erwin says after me. I give him a small wave as he walks out of the front door.

I help the last few customers with their purchases, and once everyone was out, lock the door. With a quick flip of the open sign, I walk back to the back of the store to gather my stuff.

The night air is cold and crisp when I walk out the back, locking that as well. I tug the knitted scarf around my neck up over my nose and pull my car keys from my coat pocket.

Reservations huh? I let out a tired sigh. When Erwin and I had first gotten together, I had thoroughly enjoyed the exuberant date nights and fancy dinners. It was fun, living luxuriously. But after a while, it got tiring. Now, it almost seems like Erwin uses date night as more of a way to gloat about his financial status than his love for me. I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it's all so tiring.

Why can't we ever just sit down at home with some cheap fast food or a greasy pizza and watch old movies or something. Or how about a late night picnic on top of a hill, cuddled under a pile of blankets to watch the stars and enjoy the peace and quiet. Something that doesn't require a shit load of money and a well tailored suit.

I slump down in the driver’s seat of my car. I rest my head on the steering wheel, just over my hands, and close my eyes.

 _What am I doing?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV changes to Eren in this chapter. It changes a few times throughout the story, but is hopefully still easy enough to follow. I know some people have problems with first person and switching povs, but this was written so long ago that my writing skills weren't as developed as they are now. Sorry for that. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

 

Eren-

Christmas has always been a pretty big deal at the Arlert’s. Even back when I first moved in, Christmas was a huge event. All the Arlert’s would get together and have a massive feast, exchange gifts, and just enjoy each others company. Not to mention the Christmas tree decorating and cookie baking. I’ve never seen more varieties of cookies in one place before in my life. It gives most professional bakeries a run for their money, that’s for sure.

But an event like this never happens without a hitch. Someone gets sick, or injures themselves, or gets lost trying to find this place. We even had the Christmas tree catch fire once. Don't ask. This time, someone's bags ended up getting lost at the airport. And it's my job to go pick them up now that they've been found.

Most of the family doesn't usually come until the day of. But a few, like Armin's Uncle and his wife, like to come early; like a week early. That's who's bags I'm picking up.

I tug my coat around me tightly, feeling the icy air prickling at any exposed skin. The drive to the airport isn't too long, but longer than I'd like. I hate driving on ice. I love the snow and all the activities that come with it, but ice is just a pain in the ass. I step out of the car once I get there, already mourning the warmth of my car’s heater. The airport is busy with people coming and going. As it should be so close to Christmas.

The air inside is warm and filled with a faint scent of cinnamon. Christmas lights line all of the walls and banisters, and wreaths adorn the bare white walls. In the center of the airport is a large tree, decorated with reds and golds. I walk up to the reception desk and a woman in a red sweater welcomes me with an overly cheerful smile.   
“I’m here to pick up some luggage that was lost.” I say. The receptionist points me towards the baggage claim desk with a gesture of a hand. I find it pretty quickly and stand in line.

A few people stand ahead of me. A heavy set woman holding the hand of her small child, an elderly man with cane, and a petite man who seems to be really pissed off about something. I can only see his back, but from what I can see, he has black hair, styled in a neat undercut. The black scarf tucked snuggly into his dark grey twill coat is a nice contrast to the pale skin of his neck and jaw. His leather glove clad hand holds a cellphone up to his ear, to which he's speaking angrily into.

He seems to be talking to someone by the name of Ervin? Which is ironic in a way, Armin's older brother's name is Ervin. But that's besides the point.

It sounds like his bags had been lost too. I can't help but feel bad for the guy. Here it is only a few days away from Christmas, a time when you’re supposed to spend your time with the people you love, and he was here, waiting in line at the fault of some idiot who doesn’t know how to do his job. When it’s his turn, I listen half-heartedly to his irritated conversation with the baggage clerk. I have to hold back a snort at his threat to disembowel the person if he doesn't get his bags as soon as possible. All the clerk can do is apologize and give him some paper work to fill out. He strides off with a loud huff and plops down in one of the chairs nearby.

After a few minutes, it's my turn. I go up, give the woman my name and tell her that I'm picking up some luggage. She nods and hands me a small packet to fill out; just basic contact information, and I go to sit down as well.

I glance at the guy out of the corner of my eye. He's leaned over his paperwork; which is surprisingly thick, scribbling furiously on it. What I can see of his face is scrunched up in a frown.

I turn back to my own paperwork, and quickly fill it out. When I return it, the woman tells me to wait a few minutes while the luggage is brought out. I go to move back to my seat, but the airport's coffee shop catches my attention, and suddenly, hot chocolate sounds really amazing right now.

I order myself a small hot chocolate, extra marshmallows, and find my way back to my seat as I wait. The man is still there, leaned over and frowning. I know I should probably leave him alone, but I decide to try to talk to him. He seems like he could use a distraction. If he scribbles and more furiously, I fear he might rip the page and have to start over.

"Hey, um. I'm sorry your bags got lost. Seems to happen a lot in this airport." I say, loudly enough so that he could hear me.

He looks up at me, frown still planted firmly to his face, but maybe not quite as intensely. I was definitely caught off guard by his appearance though. His steely gaze catches mine, a mixture of impatience, curiosity, and irritation. A pair of thin black brows sit above his intense eyes, which are lined with thick black lashes. His skin is smooth and fair, jawline angular and cheekbones high. His nose is perfectly straight and fits his face well. And his lips are a soft pink and look slightly chapped. I suddenly feel like my tongue is stuck in my throat.

"Yeah, well. Shit happens. Not much I can do about it now." He says, voice deep and clear. He crosses one of his legs over the other and shifts in his seat slightly.

"Still sucks though." I mumble awkwardly. I’ve never been the best conversationalist.

"Mhmm." Is the only sound he makes, which is, I assume, his way of agreeing with me.

The air between us is quiet for a short moment. I keep passing quick glances at him, and he seems to be either ignoring me or unaware. But suddenly his eyes are on mine again when I sneak another peak. I feel my face heat up in his gaze and I swiftly look away.

Much to my surprise, he speaks up. “So, your shit get lost too?" He asks. I jump at his question.

"N-no. My relative's stuff. The bags were luckily found so I'm here to pick them up." I reply, thankful that I was able to keep my voice level. For someone so diminutive, he was quite intimidating.

He nods in understanding and goes back to his paperwork, which he seems to be almost done with.

A minute later, someone comes out with the luggage, and I get up to leave. I take one more glance back at the man.

"Well, um. I'll talk to you later. Wait.. ugh." I say before I even realize what's coming out of my mouth. I just told a complete stranger that I'll talk to them later. I'm such a dumb ass.

I quickly turn away. Completely embarrassed with myself. But of course, my idiot-self just suddenly decides that it's a good idea to try and say something to redeem myself.

“I hope you have a good-" I start, turning back to him, but I'm cut off when I run right into him. I hadn't noticed that he too had gotten up to leave. And to make matters worse, the hot chocolate that had previously been in my hand was now all over the front of his coat and shirt.

I'd like nothing more than to just disappear at this point.

He hisses at the sting of the hot chocolate and looks down to inspect the damage.

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry! I didn't realize you were right behind me!" I apologize profusely, looking around frantically for anything I could use to help clean him up.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" He says angrily. He sets a deadly glare on me, and I swallow thickly. The look he gives me makes me want to shrivel up like a snail covered in salt. I watch as he pulls out a package of tissues from his coat pocket, and starts dabbing at the large stain.

"Well there goes the only fucking shirt I have until these assholes find my bags." He mumbles to himself.

"Let me buy you a new shirt. It's the least I could do after spilling hot chocolate on you." I suggest. I feel terrible, the guy was already having a bad day, and I just made it a hell of a lot worse.

The guy eyes me again, and nods.

"I just have to call my fiancé first. Hold on." He announces. Fiancé? Hadn't been expecting that.

I give him a small nod and wait as he pulls his phone out, but after a minute passes, he starts to curse again.

"Oh come on! You've gotta be shitting me." He exclaims, tapping angrily on the phone.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

"Your fucking hot chocolate got all over my phone and now it's not working. Can I use yours?" He asks, scowl even deeper than before.

I let out a sigh, and hand him my phone. This days just getting worse for him, and it's my fault.

"Erwin, it's me. The airport still hasn't found my shit, and now I'm covered in hot chocolate. Don't ask, I'll explain the next time we talk. My phone is out of commission so I'm calling on someone else's phone. I'll probably call again soon, so if you see an unfamiliar number, it might be me. Oh, and Mr. Smith, pick up your fucking phone next time." He hangs up with a groan and hands me back my phone.

"Thanks kid." He says. I nod in return.

So his fiancé’s last name is Smith? What was his first name again? Edward? Edwin? Erv… wait. It can’t be.

There’s no way… 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is Shingeki-no-erens-butt. Follow me if you'd like!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little late. I was hoping to get it up earlier today, but I've been so busy. I'm getting a ball python for an early Christmas present and I've been running all over the place trying to prepare the tank for it's arrival. I'm so excited! 
> 
> Anyways, enough of my ramblings, enjoy!

 

Revelation hits me like a brick to the back of the head. I stop in my tracks, and after a moment, the other guy stops too, looking back at me with a curious expression.

"Wait, so your fiancé's name is Ervin Smith? My best friends brother's name is Ervin. And they usually go by Arlert, but their mothers maiden name is Smith." I say, dumbfounded.

He looks at me oddly.

"Wait, what does he look like?" He asks, almost hopefully.

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, tall? Got this Captain America kind of vibe to him?" I reply. I'd only met Ervin once or twice, but I do remember what he looks like. All the Arlerts have blonde hair and blue eyes. It’s a family trait.

The man's eyes widen and his lips part in disbelief.

"Oh my god. Well isn't this quite the coincidence. I think I’m engaged to your best friend’s brother." He says, astonished.

I can't help but let out a laugh at this unbelievable situation. The world has a weird way of working; dump hot chocolate on a stranger at an airport and discover that he’s engaged to your friend’s older brother. Soon we're both laughing at it. I decide that I really like it when he laughs, compared to when he's pissed off. Part of me wants to try to make him laugh whenever I can, just to hear it some more. The sound of his voice pulls me back from my thoughts, and I realize I’m blushing. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to notice.

"This honestly couldn’t have happened at a better time, I swear. Think I could get a ride?" He asks.

"Yeah, of course. Let's just get you a new shirt first. That can’t be comfortable." I reply, gesturing to his shirt.

The man scoffs. “No shit, Sherlock.”

The two of us look for a place where we can buy clothes, but in an airport, there weren’t too many places that fit the bill. Options were a bit limited. The only place that ended up carrying clothing was the gift shop.

The place didn’t really have too many things to pick from, with the store being thoroughly picked through due to the holidays. Unfortunately for him, the only shirts they had left were a few gaudy Christmas sweaters, which he seems very displeased with.

"I'm not wearing that." The shorter man says adamantly, cringing at the cheesy slogans strewn about the front of the garments.

"It’s the only thing they have. Or would you prefer to stay in a shirt drenched in hot chocolate? Which I'm sure is getting pretty sticky and cold by now." I ask, amused by his distain for the piece of clothing.

“You’re enjoying this, you little shit.” He deadpans. I let out a snort. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He scowls at me again and huffs, grabbing the offending sweater off the shelf and heading toward the checkout.

I follow shortly behind him and laugh quietly. The cashier rings us up and, despite the sweater being excessively over-priced, I hand him some money. It’s still my fault, after all.

It wasn’t until the man and I are walking out to my car that I realize that I don't even know his name yet, nor does he know mine.

"What's your name?" I ask him. He glances at me.

"Levi. Yours?" He replies. So his name is Levi? I like it, it fits him.

"I'm Eren." I say.

"Nice to meet you, Eren." He says, tone teasing. I feel my cheeks heat up at the smooth way my name fell from his lips. Even his voice is unbearably attractive. Stop it Eren, he's engaged.

"You too, Levi." I say as smoothly as I can, trying to hide my embarrassment.

I lead Levi to my car and open the passenger door for him, moving to the trunk to pack the luggage in. When I climb into the drivers seat, I notice Levi shivering the smallest bit. I turn the heat on immediately after getting it started, since it's cold and Levi's still completely drenched.

"Mind if I get cleaned up in here? I didn't feel like doing it in the middle of a gift shop." He asks, looking at me. He begins to pull his coat off his shoulders, but pauses, waiting for my answer.

"No, go ahead." I say, pulling out of the parking spot.  
  
Levi offers a quick “Thanks” before removing his scarf, next he carefully starts to pull off his coat, which didn't get it as badly as his shirt did. He folds it neatly and puts it on the back seat.

Then comes his shirt. One by one he unfastens the buttons. I really should have thought this over better. Soon there's going to be a handsome, shirtless man in my car. One that's marrying my best friend’s brother. Fuck me.

He slips the wet shirt over his shoulders and folds it too, tucking the soiled part inside. I do my absolute best to keep my eyes on the road, but I still catch glimpses of smooth pale skin and a toned torso. Think about the road, Eren. The road!

"Do you have any wet wipes or anything? I'm all sticky." He asks, making a face.

I keep my eyes forward and point to the glove box. Thank god I decided it was a good idea to put some in my car.

I listen to the crumpling sound from the wipe package and then the soft rustling as he pulls the sweater over his head. He makes a disgusted sound at the garment and I chuckle at his hatred for it.

Silence spreads within the vehicle, and while it's not at all awkward or uncomfortable, I decide to try for conversation.

"So, uh. How'd you meet Ervin?" I ask, nothing better to talk about.

"I own an antique shop, and the asshole was trying get me to sell it. A developer was interested in tearing down the building my shop resides in and build a hotel or some shit there. He hired Erwin to try and convince me to sell." He said, smirking lightly and shaking his head.

"I hated the man for the longest time, too. Who knew that I'd actually come to fall in love with him?" He continued with a scoff.

I nod and hum softly. That’s an interesting way to meet someone, and in some ways, actually kind of charming. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the tiniest bit bitter though.

"And guess what, the fucker's still trying to get me to sell." He exclaims, arms coming up to express his frustration.

I can't hold back the laugh that bubbles it's way up my throat. Levi sends me a dirty look, but it doesn't have anything behind it. In fact, it almost looks like he's trying to hold back a smirk.

"Tell me about your shop." I request. His demeanor changes almost instantly, and I get an idea of just how much that shop means to him without him even having to say a word. Levi makes a thoughtful hum before replying.

"Well, I don't really know what to say about it. It’s an antique shop where I collect and sell antiques..." He says sarcastically.

I give him a sideways look. "Gee, who would've guessed that?" I sass back at him.

He rolls his eyes. "... Anyway. It used to be my Mom's, but I took over when she passed away." He said, continuing on from his previous response. His gaze directs down to his lap where he fiddles with the gold band on his finger.

I feel a little guilty now, for bringing it up. I know how hard it is to loose a parent. Hell, I've lost both of them.

"Sorry. But at least I can understand why you don't want to sell. You probably have a lot of memories in that shop. If I was in that situation, I doubt I’d be any more willing to sell than you are." I say, glancing at him quickly, then back to the road.

His expression appears slightly surprised, like he didn't expect me to understand. But as soon as that expression came, it was gone. He turns away from me and looks out the passenger side window.

"Yeah. Erwin just doesn't seem to get that, though." He mumbles to himself, even though I'm sitting right next to him.

“It’s obviously none of my business, but it’s surprising that someone who claims to love you is trying so hard to get you to give up something you cherish so dearly.” I say, giving Levi a meaningful look.

Levi looks away. “Hmm.” When I glance over at him, his brow is furrowed in thought.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, my Tumblr is Shingeki-no-erens-butt.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV switches back to Levi in this one! Just a heads up!
> 
> Enjoy!

Levi-

This has got to be the most irritating, insufferably adorable brat I've ever met. First he spills his hotter-than-balls drink on me, then he buys me an ugly Christmas sweater to compensate. In the few minutes I've been in his car, I've talked more than I usually do in a whole day.

I've learned about his love of thunder storms, and cliché Christmas movies. How he refuses to believe that a person can't love both dogs and cats equally at the same time. And how he absolutely hates mushrooms.

Not to mention the fact that we argued about which version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas " is better. He prefers the Ron Howard take, while I'm more of a classic man. And my cheeks are starting to hurt from all the smirks and little hidden smiles that have forced their way onto my face.

But I guess it could be worse. And while I hate admitting it, I can't really say that I dislike being around him. He's definitely a change of pace from what I'm used to. And he's giving me a ride and bought me a new shirt, so yeah, definitely could be worse.

The drive itself is nice. Shitty Christmas music plays from the radio and Eren is softly humming along to the cheery toons. His voice is smooth and warm, and slightly off-pitch. I can’t find it in myself to mind though, not with the fond expression on his face. I might hate the holiday season, but I won’t stop other people from enjoying it.

It only takes a little over twenty minutes to get to the house, seeing as the house is on the other side of town from the airport. Soon we're pulling into the short driveway of a large, two story house. The house looks like something out of a Christmas magazine; completely decorated from top to bottom with string lights and glittery lawn ornaments.

I don't think I could have ever imagined this to be Erwin's childhood home. His parents just don't really seem like the type. I’d always imagined them as being sophisticated and elegant, not homely, not like this anyway. But what do I know? I've never met them.

"Well. Welcome to our humble abode, Levi." Eren says, shutting off the car and climbing out. He opens the door for me just as I was about to, and refuses to meet my gaze. His cheeks are flushed red, but I attribute it to the cold.

I nod my appreciation. Eren walks around to the trunk and pulls out the bags he picked up. Once I grab my dirty clothes from the backseat, we are headed for the door.

The inside of the house is just as festively decorated as the outside. The stair railings are wrapped in garland and lights, the walls littered with Christmas cards and wreaths, and mistletoe hanging from each doorway. If I didn't know better, I would have said that Erwin's mom is Martha Stewart or something.

I feel Eren tug lightly on my arm, leading me farther into the house. The smell of apple cider and gingerbread became more apparent the farther we got into the house. It was definitely a welcomed aroma.

"I'm back! And I have a surprise!" Eren exclaims. I glower at him at the "surprise" part, and he just grins back.

Soon, a short boy with blonde hair and blue eyes walks into the room. His hair is styled in a bob and I immediately know that this must be Erwin's brother. They look so much alike.

The kid gives me a weird look and I send a scowl back at him, making him recoil. A moment later, two more people with blonde hair and blue eyes make an entrance. They look to be in their early sixties. Must be Erwin's parents. We'll at least I know where Erwin got his looks.

"Guys, this is Levi. Ervin's fiancé..." Eren says, gesturing to me.

"Levi, this is Armin, my best friend, and his and Ervin's parents, Catherine and Mark." Eren introduces them to me.

"Ervin's fiancé? He never mentioned anything about a fiancé last time we spoke. Are you sure Eren?" The woman, Catherine, says, whispering the last part in hopes of not offending me. I hear her anyway but ignore it.

"I mean, Levi seemed pretty sure..." Eren replies, turning to look at me.

I continue where he left off. "Our engagement only happened about a month ago. Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise."

Quite frankly, it really surprised me that Erwin hadn't even mentioned me, fiancé or not, before. But with as busy as he always is, I don't put it past the big idiot.

Mark and Catherine nod, but gave each other weird looks. “Well, welcome to the family, Levi.” Mark says politely.

"Anyway, why don't you two go get comfy. Dinner should be ready soon." Catherine says, smiling warmly. I give her a polite nod in return.

I follow behind Eren as he removes his coat and hangs it up. Next comes his shoes and I follow suit.

"I think I’m going to make myself some more hot chocolate. Would you like some?" He asks, moving towards the kitchen.

I lean my arms against the granite counter, sitting on one of the stools lined up against it.

"Sure, just so long as you promise to not dump it all over me again." I tease. His face goes red as he blows a raspberry at me, and I snort at the childish action.

"What are you, 2?" I quibble.

"20. But you were close, give or take those eighteen years, no biggie." He smirks back, turning on the electric kettle.

Soon enough, the kettle is whistling, signifying that the water is done boiling. I watch as he scurries around the space, pulling two mugs from the cupboards, a tin of cocoa mix from the pantry, and a can of whipped cream from the refrigerator.

He mixes the two cups of cocoa up and tops both off with a generous swirl of cream, before giving me a wink and squirting some of the fluffy substance into his mouth.

I let out a groan of disgust; he probably just got saliva all over the can's nozzle, and he laughs, cheeks still puffed out.

The hand still holding the can extends out towards me. "Want some?" He asks, voice muffled. I swat his hand away half-heartedly, as he snickers with a shrug.  
  
"That's disgusting. You really are a two year old." I quip, shaking my head playfully. I don't even attempt to restrain the grin making it’s way onto my face.

He grins back, bright and breathtaking, and gently pushes the warm cup into my hands. I accept it with a nod, turning away to hide the heat rising onto my face.

His smile is so raw and full of emotion, and it's starting to have an effect on me. Hell if I know why. My attention moves to Catherine as she steps into the kitchen.

"Eren, what did I tell you about eating it from the can?" She scolds, as if Eren wasn't already an adult. Eren just laughs and offers a fairly insincere apology.

"Eren Jaeger, I'm not playing with you." She warns, giving him the "mom glare".

"Okay, okay. I'm really sorry, I won't do it again." He apologies again, sounding far more serious this time. Though, the face he makes at her once her back is turned only proves to invalidate the sincerity of the apology.

I scoff and shake my head at him as Catherine pats Eren's cheek and sends me a motherly smile, turning to leave a moment later.

Silence spreads out between us as he takes a sip of his hot chocolate. Feeling cheeky, I quickly dip my finger into the glob of whipped cream in my cup and smear it across the tip of his nose. Eren startles slightly, before giving me a playful look.

“Oh, that’s how you want to play, is it?” He scoops some cream from his cup and wipes it across my cheek.

I gasp, feigning shock. We eye each other for a moment, and I watch as Eren’s eyes take a quick glance at the can of whipped cream still sitting on the counter.

Just as we both jump up to grab it before the other can, Catherine pops her head back into the kitchen.

“Don’t even think about it!” She warns, holding back a grin.

Eren laughs genuinely, head tilt back and eyes squeezed shut. I find myself grinning at him. He reaches over and grabs a napkin, dabbing at his nose, still laughing all the while.

I let out a snort. "You missed some, dumbass." I say, rolling my eyes.

Eren perks up at my comment, a soft "huh?" coming from his lips. I sigh and pluck the napkin from his hand.

"Here, I'll get it." I say, bringing the napkin up to wipe at the white fluff on the tip of his nose. From this proximity, I can see a light dusting of tan freckles barely visible from even a short distance.

Just above them, I find his eyes boring into mine. His eyes up close are stunning, and while they were gorgeous before, I'm only really noticing them now. They're swirled with blues and greens, and speckled with gold flecks, something I've never seen before. The color is so rare and unusual. It's almost difficult to believe that they're real.

He breaks the connection of our gazes first, instead looking down at the cup in his hand. I'm somewhat horrified when I realize that I had probably just been caught staring.

The sound of him clearing his throat breaks the silence.

"Why don't we go find a place to sit in front of the fireplace. I think Armin got it going just before I left, so it should be nice and warm by now." Eren suggested, taking a few steps towards the living room, then stopping to look at me.

The corners of my mouth curve upwards in a small, reassuring smile as I follow shortly behind him.

Something inside me felt warm and bubbly. I couldn’t quite tell what it was though. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, my Tumblr is Shingeki-no-erens-butt. Give me a follow if you want!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

 

The living room, just like the rest of the house, is decorated thoroughly with Christmas decor. But one thing that I notice is missing, is a Christmas tree.

"Where's the Christmas tree?" I ask, only slightly curious for an answer.

"Armin's Grandpa's bringing it tomorrow. We always decorate it when he comes, he insists on picking it out himself, and we've kinda just stopped fighting him on it." Eren says, smiling at me. "But of course, when it starts drying up and the needles start falling off, he wants nothing to do with the clean-up."

"Wait, you guys are getting a real tree?" I ask.

"Yeah, of course. It's a tradition. I mean, fake trees are nice, but they're almost too perfect. Real trees have character. Have you never had a real tree before?" He asks, almost dumbfounded.

No, I've never had a real tree before. We were always too poor, and didn't have enough space. Hell, most years we didn't have a Christmas tree at all. What we did have was small, old, and half the branches had fallen off. I frown at the memory. When I moved out on my own, I didn’t even bother.

"No, I haven't. My family could never afford it." I say, looking at the mug in my hands.

"Well, you will this year." Eren says happily. I startle slightly at the touch of his hand on my shoulder, but quickly relax into the touch.

His hand is warm, and comforting, and I find myself almost leaning into it. But when my heart does this weird flippy-floppy thing, I shift out from under his touch, despite wanting nothing more than to let it stay. I know better than this, the feeling is all too familiar, and I know I'm only feeling this way because Erwin's not here. Eren doesn’t seem to notice as I shift away from him slightly.

I'm equally surprised and thankful that he didn't question my previous statement, about my family. I hate talking about it. It just hurts too much.

My thoughts are interrupted by the short blonde boy, Armin. He tells us that dinner is ready. Eren stands and nods at me to follow. I take a seat next to him upon entering the dining room. The table is set beautifully, with winter themed table mats and cloth napkins. The more I'm here, the more I start to believe that Catherine really is Martha Stewart.

The woman brings out a large bowl of salad, a basket of yeast rolls, and a large pot of delicious smelling soup.

This has got to be one of the best home-cooked meals I've had in years.

The rest of the family comes out and takes a seat with us, and literally everyone besides Eren and I have blonde hair and blue eyes. Kind of freaky actually.

A calm murmur of conversation fills the air as I dish myself up some soup and salad. The family talks fondly about their lives and the events that had taken place in it over the last year.

From what I hear, Armin is in medical school, and one of the best in his class apparently. Catherine is a kindergarten teacher, and Mark is a Doctor. Nothing is mentioned about what Eren does though. I find myself curious. I’ll have to ask him about it later.

Dinner continues on with that light chatter of conversation. I'll answer the occasional question directed toward me, but for the most part I stay silent, enjoying the soup that's warming me up from the inside.

I glance over at Eren as his face brightens up with laughter at something someone said, and I feel warmth grow in my chest, something not from the soup. It’s a dangerous feeling, I know it, and I try to shoo it away as quickly as possible.

I've only been in this damn house for a few hours, and I already feel like part of the family. Everyone is so polite and welcoming. It's almost shocking how fast they accepted me. I honestly never imagined that this is what Erwin's family would be like. He's so proper and formal, and these people are so hospitable. The big city must have really changed him.

Later, I find myself back in the living room, sitting with the fireplace to my left and Eren to my right, watching The Christmas Story. It's a tradition, apparently, to watch this movie during the holiday season at the Smith's. Which I don't particularly mind. It's been a long time since I've watched this movie, and I have to say it's pretty amusing to see some kid get his tongue frozen to a pole.

I feel my skin tingle when Eren's leg bumps into mine when he laughs at something on screen.

This needs to stop, this feeling blooming in my stomach needs to go away. I'm engaged, damn it. To a man I love and am perfectly happy with, well most of the time. But, it's perfectly normal to have problems with your partner, right? Plus this is his family, and I'm not going to fall for his brother's best friend. No way in hell.

"You okay there, Levi? You look like you're contemplating the secrets of the universe or something." Eren jokes, bumping my shoulder with his, a smile planted on his face. I clear my throat and offer a quick nod.

Screw him for being so damn charming.

"I'm fine, just thinking." I reply.

"Well, let me know if you solve the mystery of life or anything." He chuckles, continuing on with his previous teasing.

I grunt at him as I elbow him in the side, eliciting a deep laugh from his chest. I sigh and cross a leg over the other, trying to shift my focus back to the screen.

During the rest of the movie, I'm able to keep my thoughts mostly away from Eren, just enjoy the movie. After The Christmas Story ended, we moved on to "Its a wonderful life". Surprisingly, it's was mostly just Eren and I watching this movie. The others eventually lost interest and headed back to the kitchen for some more socializing.

About halfway through, Catherine comes into the living room.

"Eren, do you want some eggnog?" She asks. He sends her a quick nod and a thank you. She then turns to me.

"What about you, dear? Would you like some too?"

"Does it have alcohol in it?" I ask.

"Yes?" She replies, curious as to why I asked.

"Oh, god yes. Thank you. " I say, suddenly craving the buzz. Eren snickers besides me, but stops when I give him a dirty look.

A few moments later, Catherine comes back with two festively decorated mugs (who could have guessed?), and hands them to Eren and I. I take a large gulp, enjoying the sweet, richness of the beverage. Then comes the pleasant bitterness of the rum, now warming my throat. I let out a sigh as I relax back into the couch, closing my eyes as I do so. This is the good stuff too.

Next to me, I hear a chuckle. I open my eyes to find Eren staring at me with a giant grin on his face.

"Feeling better now, Levi?" He taunts playfully.

"Shut up." I send back, a smirk forcing it's way onto my face. This brat.

The movie continues, and by the end, I've reached a pleasant buzz. Eren too has relaxed a bit, from his couple glasses of eggnog. It's getting late, almost midnight, actually, but I find that I'm not at all tired, despite how stressful today was.

I turn my head to look at Eren, and Eren looks back at me. His smile is soft, and comfortable. I find myself returning it immediately.

"Well, I suppose I should probably show you to your room. It's getting pretty late." He says, but doesn't move from the couch. He just continues to smile at me, that earth shaking smile, and I feel my heartbeat speeding up. I look away quickly, willing the heat away from my face.

This is getting ridiculous. These feelings are far too affectionate and are coming way too quickly. My feelings didn't even grow this fast with Erwin, though I suppose I had a good reason to dislike him in the beginning. I shake my head, tired of thinking about this. Erwin is my fiancé, there's nothing more to it. Anything I'm feeling is simply because I'm missing Erwin.

Eren shocks me out of my reverie with a sigh. He stands, offering his hand to help me from the couch. I take it without thinking about it, and if I held on to his hand a little longer than necessary, I wasn’t going to mention it.

He leads me up a flight of stairs. My hand gently brushes against the soft tinsel garland lining the banister. I follow him down a hall, as he explains where everything is. He shows me where my room is, and the bathroom, linen closet, etc. Then he pulls me to the end of the hallway.

“This is my bedroom. If you need anything during the night, don’t be afraid to come get me.” Eren said, standing in front of his door.

Levi nodded, arms crossed behind his back. “Thanks, Eren. Good night.”

Eren smiled softly before turning and going into his room. “G’night Levi.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is Shingeki-no-erens-butt. Follow me if you want!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably one of my favorite chapters so far, and I hope you all like it as much as I did

 

I stare at Eren’s closed bedroom door for a good minute, just thinking about things. The whole day had begun horribly, and somehow, Eren wormed his way in and made things better, even if he was the cause of some of the day's irritants. 

Eren is also the cause of the knot that had wound itself into my chest, despite my strongest efforts. His smile is bright and pure, and contagious. I love Erwin. I know I do. He’s comfortable, familiar, loving him is easy. What wasn’t easy was this feeling.

I reach up and pinch the space between my eyebrows, feeling like I need another glass of eggnog. After a final moment, I turn and walk towards the door Eren had indicated to be mine.

The room was furnished stylishly with a simple color scheme of navy blue and cream. The bed was large, a queen if I had to guess, and dressed with a navy bedspread. A soft looking, champagne colored throw blanket was draped casually over the comforter. Fur accent pillows of the same color were placed neatly at the head of the bed.

I take a seat on the side of the bed, my hands trailing over the soft blankets. To either side of the bed are dark-wood side tables, one of which is holding a set of what I assume to be sleep clothes.

I reach over and pick them up. I don’t recall a time where Eren could have put these there, so I assume it was Catherine who did it. Though, when I unfold the clothes to look at them, I catch a whiff of what is definitely Eren’s scent. It’s spicy, like a cross between citrus and cinnamon. I find that it suits him.

That’s weird. Stop it.

I shake my head and stand back up, stripping myself down to my boxers to put on the new clothes. Bending over to pick up the dirty clothes, I give them a quick fold and place them on the chester-drawer on the other side of the room.

The bed is soft and pillowy when I lay down, tucking myself under the covers. The room is peacefully silent, aside from the rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall. But despite the comfortable bed and the peace and quiet, I find myself staring up at the dark ceiling, sleep evading me. I stay like that for what feels like hours, just letting my mind swirl with thoughts and ideas.

When I get tired of staring at the ceiling, I look to the clock, which tells me that it’s nearly two in the morning. Deciding that trying to sleep is a fruitless venture, I sit up, popping my back after staying still for so long.

Part of me wants to take Eren up on his offer, to go wake him up if I needed anything, but what exactly did I need? Company?

How messed up would that be? _Hi, sorry to wake you up but I can’t sleep and I’m bored so let me deprive you of your sleep so you can entertain me._

I"m not an asshole. Well, most of the time.

Still, I could see if he is awake or not. At least then I won’t have to wake him up.

I stand from the bed and make my way through the darkness. It’s hard enough to navigate through an unfamiliar house, but it was even harder in the dark. Luckily for me, Eren’s room wasn’t too hard to find.  
I can’t see any light from the bottom of his door, but a soft scraping noise can be heard. Just to be safe, I knock lightly on the door, loudly enough for someone to hear if they’re awake, but not loud enough to wake the person up if they were sleeping.

The scraping ceases and the creaking sound of an old desk chair rings through the air. Within moments, Eren’s pulling the door open. He regards me with a concerned expression.

"Levi? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just can’t sleep. What are you doing?” I ask, referring to the scraping noise I heard earlier.

“Wanna see?” Eren asks, backing away from the door so I can come in.

Eren’s room looks much more lived-in than the one I’m in, as it would be. His bed is unmade, deep green bedding strewn across the mattress. A television sits on top of a bookshelf filled with everything from classics like The Great Gatsby, Moby Dick and Fahrenheit 451 to comic books and even a few movies. Little wooden figures decorate the shelves, as well as a few small picture frames.

On the wall with the window is an old looking mahogany desk, along with a charming, worn leather-upholstered chair. Bits of wood shavings are scattered about the surface of the desk, along with what looks like a mason jar full of carving tools placed in a corner, a small lamp placed in the other.

Eren leads me over to it, picking up a small wooden horse with wood dust-covered fingers. “It’s a hobby of mine; wood carving. I used to have anger problems, used carving as a way to vent and fell in love.” Eren mutters fondly, the smallest of smiles gracing his lips as he looks at the horse.

I feel something warm well in my chest. “You’re very good, Eren.” I complement.

Eren tugs at my sleeve softly, pulling me over to his bookshelf. It dawns on me that he must have made those figurines I notices earlier.

“I made these too. This one was the first one I’ve ever made.” He points to a figure of what look like a dog.

The carving is messy and uneven, but has no less worth to the brunet.

My eyes trail down to a small wooden box, no bigger than the palm of my hand. The details are sharp and intricate, depicting a grape vine with a small bird nestled in it’s branches.

My heart suddenly aches when a similar image flashes through my head from when I was young. My breath hitches in my throat.

Eren puts his hand on my upper back, a worried tone to his voice. “Are you okay, Levi?”

I set the box back down and turn, taking a seat on his bed. Eren follows.

“The first antique item my mother collected was an old music box; it had a pattern very similar to the box you carved. She’d gotten it from her great grandfather for her fifteenth birthday.” I began.

"She loved that music box with all of her being. It was her most priced possession. She even said that it was what caused her to begin collecting antiques.  
She’d always have it on display at her shop, but nothing would ever get her to sell it. I remember many people offering big money for it, but she’d always refuse.

She used to show it to me with stars in her eyes, hum the melody of it to me as I slept. I came to love it just the same.

When she died, the bank gave us little warning before coming and taking what was left of her stuff. I tried to get as much as I could, but somehow the box that contained the music box was misplaced and the bank took it. I haven’t seen it since. I can still remember the melody, oh what I would do to hear it again.”

I lean down and rest my head in my hands, willing back the tears. Why was I telling him this? Not even Erwin knew about the music box.

When I look back up to Eren, he seems deep in thought. He turns to look at me, a curious expression on his face.

"Do you remember how it went?” Eren asks. I almost don’t notice the hand rubbing soothing circles into my shoulder.

“What?” I reply, mind occupied.

“The melody. Do you remember how the melody went?” Eren explained.

I nod, the melody already playing in my head. I’d never be able to forget, even if I wanted to. I try to duplicate it but struggle to carry the tune.

Eren nods, looking away in thought again. I’m about to ask what it is he’s thinking about when he speaks up.

“My mother was always baking when she was alive.” Eren said. So his mother has passed too? “Her and I would spend all Sunday baking. By the end of the day, we both were covered head to foot in flour. My dad used to joke that we were ghosts haunting his house.”

I listen intently to his story, mind away from the painful memories. I assume that was his plan.

“Her cookies were famous around town back then, to the point where we’d have people placing orders. Dad said she should have just opened a bakery.

Her favorites to make were Russian tea cakes, while mine were her sugar cookies. Though, I’ll admit that part of it was the gallons of cookie icing I got to sample while decorating them.”

I chuckled at that. It seemed inexplicably like Eren.  
Suddenly, as if a light bulb went on in his brain, Eren shot up from his spot next to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me with him.

“C’mon! I’ve got an idea.” Eren announces.  
I decide not to question him and just follow along.

His brilliant idea leads us to the kitchen. I watch curiously as he switches on the light and begins scavenging through the cupboards.

“Late night snack heist?” I ask.

He turns to pin me with a mischievous look. “Even better.” He says without further explanation.

I’m about to assume he’s gone mad and suggest that he go get some sleep when he pulls out a variety of baking accoutrement and lays them all out neatly on the counter.

“All the bedrooms are upstairs so as long as we’re quiet, nobody should notice us down here.” Eren explains excitedly.

The beginnings of a smile form on my lips and when he turns back to me, I have to hold back my laughter, as to not wake anyone up.

Eren leans sultrily against the granite. “Hey Levi, wanna make some cookies?” He asks, the inflection of his voice suggesting that the process of making cookies is somehow dirty.

My stomach aches with the effort to hold back the chain of laughter clawing it’s way up my throat.

“Sure, Eren. Let’s make some cookies.” I agree.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV goes back to Eren in this one.
> 
> Enjoy!

  
Eren-

My heart aches for Levi, hearing the story of his mother and the music box. I can see it all over his face, the pain and regret. I know he blames himself, for both her death and the loss of their precious music box. 

I know how devastating it can be, to loose someone you love. I’ve experienced it first hand. Levi’s already endured so much pain, and I want nothing more than to prevent him from hurting anymore. 

I rarely talk about my parents, but I needed something to take Levi’s mind off his own misfortunes. Simple apologies and pity don’t do shit, and I wasn’t about to do that to him too. 

“Do you usually make cookies at three in the morning?” Levi teases, breaking me from my thoughts. He’s gazing at my with this look in his eyes. A look that makes my stomach flutter with butterflies. 

It’s too early to be feeling this way. My head is screaming at me to stop, to step back and stay out of the way. But it’s like Levi has his own gravitational pull drawing me closer, even against my better judgment. 

“Not usually, but I’ll make an exception this time.” I reply coolly, as to not tip him in on the storm raging inside my head. 

I slide a mixing bowl over to Levi, as well as a wooden spoon. After plopping a stick of softened butter and some sugar into the bowl, I instruct Levi to cream the two together. I move over to the small radio sitting in the corner of the counter. With a push of a button, cheery Christmas music fills the kitchen, just loud enough for us to hear. 

I shake my hips along to it, enjoying the glare I’m receiving from Levi. Though, when I see a hint of a smirk threatening to break past his grumpy expression, I don’t think he’s minding the music, or my dancing, as much as he’s letting on. 

Levi rolls his eyes at me as I move back to my place at the counter, my foot still tapping along. I measure out the dry ingredients and give them a quick whisk together. 

Levi tries his best to ignore me while I begin to sing along, instead focusing on cracking an egg into his bowl. Once both halves of the recipe is ready, I dump the flour mixture into Levi’s bowl, the other man beginning to mix the two together. I pour out some flour onto the counter for rolling and dust the rolling pin liberally. 

As the song we’re listening to slips into a cheery interlude with chiming bells and jolly piano notes, Levi dumps the lump of combined dough onto the small mound of flour I’d poured out. I begin to roll out the dough, but hand a small container of cookie cutters to Levi so he can do that part. Once the cookie dough is sufficiently rolled out, I let Levi begin to press the holiday themed cookie cutters into the dough, then place the shapes on a cookie sheet.   
I watch silently as he works for a moment, an idea forming in my head. I discreetly dip my hand into the left over flour on the counter and lean in slowly, pretending to study the top of his head intently.   
Levi slowly looks up, his expression filled with confusion. “What?” He asks quietly. 

I furrow my brow. “It looks like you have something in your hair.” I say before running my well-floured hand through his silky hair, leaving white streaks through the dark locks. 

Levi jumps slightly, but pins me with a dirty look when he realizes what I did. I snicker to myself at his face. His expression morphs from mild irritation to mischief. 

Levi puts on a fake smile, scooping some flour into his hand. “Thank you, Eren. How nice of you to care. It seems you might have something on your face. Here, let me get it for you.” He mocks, blowing into his hand and sending a cloud of flour into my face. 

I cough the flour from my lungs for a moment before laughing. Levi is standing proudly in front of me, a smirk on his lips and his hands on his hips. 

We stare at each other for a minute or two, challenging the other to make a move. At nearly the same time, Levi and I lunge for the bag of flour, our shoulders bumping into each other and our hands digging into the soft powder to fling at each other. 

Soon, both the counter and our figures are dusted with a coat of flour reminiscent of freshly fallen snow. My hand is creeping slowly back to the flour for round two when the sound of someone clearing their throat catches my attention. 

I look over to Armin sheepishly. He’s rubbing his temples tiredly, his hair a mess. He eyes me with a mildly irritated gaze. 

“I don’t care that you’re making cookies in the middle of the night, I don’t even care that you two woke me up, all I care about is the flour now dusted across the kitchen.” Armin crosses his arms over his chest. 

I sink into myself a bit under his scrutiny. I suppose we did go a little overboard. 

“Sorry?” I offer timidly, an awkward smile gracing my face. 

“I don’t care what it takes, just get it cleaned up.” Armin relents, too tired to scold us anymore than that. He turns and waddles sleepily up the stairs. 

I turn to glance back at Levi, my face flat. He’s staring back with a similar expression, until the slightest crack of a giggle breaks his blank gaze. Soon we’re both busting out laughing, holding onto each other for balance and attempting to stifle the noise, but with no avail. 

“C’mon. Let’s finish the cookies before we wake anyone else up.” I say, dusting a bit of flour off my shirt. 

Soon the counter was littered with sheet after sheet of jolly looking sugar cookies, some cooled off and ready to decorate, the rest still piping hot. I scoot all the cookies to one side of the counter to get busy with clean up. There was plenty to clean, after all, and by the time Levi and I were done, all the cookies would be cooled and ready for icing. 

I shake as much of the powder as I can from my clothes and Levi does the same. I hand him a few damp paper towels and occupy myself with the mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. I don’t even remember using so many dishes. 

“Did you and your family have any Christmas traditions?” I ask Levi, hoping that my question won’t raise too many painful memories. I am curious though. 

Levi’s back is turned to me when I look over my shoulder, his head is down, arm halting it’s scrubbing. He’s silent for a moment. “There’s a park back home that has an annual tree lighting ceremony. Every Christmas Eve before Mom got sick, she’d walk me down to the park and we’d look at all the lights.” He began, resuming his cleaning as he spoke. “We’d always go late at night, when the majority of the crowd had gone. I remember how beautiful it was as the snow fell gently from the sky and stained the tips of the evergreens white. It was peaceful too, like for that moment you were in your own little world.” 

I set the dish I’m cleaning down and move over to the other side of the kitchen, where Levi is standing. Part of me is afraid that I’d upset him with my question, but when I look at his face, a small, content smile is settled on his lips and his eyes look lost in thought. 

I rub soothing circles with my thumb into the back of his left hand and he turns to look at me. The smile remains, but his eyes loose that glazed look and focus on me instead. 

“That sounds beautiful, Levi.” I say, staring back at him fondly.

He’s looking at me with that expression again, the one that makes my chest get tight and warm and my heart beat heavily. I find myself unable to look away, not that I wanted to anyway. Without thinking, I take the smallest of steps towards him, my fingers moving to run along his wrist. 

If I had been even a foot farther away from Levi, I wouldn’t be able to see the light dusting of pink across his nose and cheeks. Even from this distance, it’s hard to tell whether it’s simply a trick caused by the lighting or real.

All I can think about is how close he is, and how badly I want to reach out and touch him.   
But I know it can’t be like this. It’s hopeless to feel this way. I clear my mind and my throat and take a step back, trying to find anything to say to distract myself from my thoughts. 

“I-I think we actually have a tree lighting ceremony going on in town right now too. Tomorrow night we should go see it. If you want.” I say.

Levi seems to sober up real quick, looking down at his feet and moving his hand even farther away from mine. He sighs silently, nodding. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” Levi replies. 

By the time all the cookies are cooled enough, the deep blue sky outside the kitchen window is beginning to develop a pinkish-orange hue, signaling the impending sunrise. 

Levi and I decide to wait for tomorrow to decorate, since both of us are exhausted. I watch as Levi yawns deeply, rubbing his eyes gently with the back of his wrist. His eyes are slightly red when he looks back at me. 

“Thanks, Eren. This was fun. It’s been a while since I’ve done something ridiculous like this.” Levi says, leaning on the counter next to me. 

“Been a while since I’ve done anything like this, actually.” He tags on quietly at the end. 

I look at him tiredly, offering a simple smile in reply, glad that I could do something to make him happy. I bring my hand up slowly, noticing a bit of residual flour in Levi’s hair. Without thinking, I run my hand through it the same way as I had when I put the flour there in the first place, only this time, much slower. His hair is so much smoother than I remember. 

Only when I look down into Levi’s eyes and see the confused look on his face do I realize what I’m doing.   
My face drops with my hand, my gaze falling to the floor. “Y-you had a bit of flour in your hair.” I explain weakly. 

My excuse doesn’t seem to help, so I quickly turn away and think of something to say to hopefully shake the awkwardness from the air between us. 

“We should probably get some sleep, we’ve got lots to do tomorrow.” I say, walking over to the stairs. Levi follows closely behind me, silent apart from the soft patting of his foot steps. 

Only now that I have sleep on my mind do I realize how tired I am. I’ll probably end up falling asleep before my head even hits the pillow. But despite my exhaustion, I turn to Levi once more, the both of us standing at his door.

“Goodnight, Levi.” I say. 

Levi nods. “Goodnight.” He finishes. As he turns, his hand brushes mine the slightest bit. Levi halts a bit, turning to me to gaze at me with a far away look in his eyes. Underneath the absent look, it almost looked like he was asking me for something, begging me. For what, I’m clueless. I don’t even thing Levi knows. 

Just as fast as it appeared, the look dissipates, morphing into something that is simply tired. Levi turns back around, his head falling as he shuts the door behind him.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POV switches back to Levi, and I think this is the last POV switch. Yay for that. Anyway, enjoy!

Levi- 

  
I don’t know about Eren, but the moment I tucked myself under the warm, downy covers, I was out. I haven’t slept that deeply in a while, the bed is far more comfortable than I anticipated, especially without the familiar weight of another body next to mine. 

By the time I wake, it’s just past noon, the sun high up in the wintery sky. I sit up slowly, eyes half-lidded, and stretch out my stiff limbs. My lower back pops as I twist, and I let out a satisfied breath at the feeling. 

Soon, the bathroom is calling my name, and I stumble out of the bedroom, trying to recall where the bathroom is with my sleep-logged mind. Once I finish, I make my way down the stairs, the sound of Christmas music and soft chattering filling my ears. 

Catherine is the first person to notice my presence, offering me a “Good Morning” and a nod. I smile at her politely. 

“Where’s Eren?” I ask. 

“He’s in the kitchen, dear.” Catherine replies, turning back to the conversation she was carrying on with her husband. 

When I enter the kitchen, Eren surprises me, pressing a cup of what smells like coffee into my hands. The warmth seeps into my palms, and I close my eyes for a short moment, enjoying the warmth both on my lips and in my hands as I take a sip. I re-open my eyes to watch silently as Eren moves back to the stove. Dirtied bowls and mixing spoons lay across the granite counter, a thick, creamy looking batter filling a large measuring cup. Eren pours some of the batter into the pan, the butter popping and sizzling from the heat. 

“How’d you sleep?” Eren asks a moment later, flipping the pancake over with a spatula and then plopping it onto the top of a few others. The pancakes steam alluringly and the sweet smell in the air makes my mouth water. 

Eren puts a couple of pancakes on a plate for me and I busy myself with drenching the cakes in butter and maple syrup. 

“Quite well actually. I haven’t slept in this late since I was a kid.” I sit down at the counter and dig in. 

“That’s good.” Eren replies. 

Eren returns to cooking, and a few silent moments later, he pipes back up. “Armin’s Grandpa is supposed to be coming with the tree today. You better be ready, the Arlert’s Christmas tree decorating celebration is not to be underestimated .” He jokes light-heartedly before calling out to the rest of the house that the pancakes were ready.

“Ooh, I’m scared.” I mock, pretending to widen my eyes in fear. Eren snorts and sticks his tongue out at me. 

The rest of the family filters into the kitchen slowly, drawn by the scrumptious smells in the air. Soon, everyone has their own plates, Armin and his Mom take a seat next to me on the barstools and the rest of the family make their way out to the dining room. Eren leans on the counter across from me with his own plate.

Catherine pipes up after a bite, eyeing the multiple tupperware containers filled with unfinished sugar cookies. 

“Looks like someone was busy.” She says, eyeing me. Her gaze turns to Eren a second later. “Just when did you guys make cookies?”

Eren, being the little shit he is, goes with more of a sarcastic approach at answering. “What are you looking at me for? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Eren shrugs over-dramatically. 

“Huh, it must have been those damn cookie fairies that woke me up and trashed the kitchen then.” Armin adds in sarcastically. 

“Oh, of course! I’ve heard about those. They’re the worst.” Eren states with a mouthful of pancakes, he then leans over to nudge me with his elbow. “Huh, Levi?” 

I scoff, raising my arms up defensively. “Uh-uh, I have no part in this.” Eren laughs and nudges me some more. I have to hold onto the counter to keep from falling off my stool. I send him a dirty look, but he seems to be immune to it by now. 

“Yeah, when I came down the stairs to figure out where the noise was coming from, I found the both of them and the kitchen dredged in flour. It looked like there was more flour on them than in the cookies.” Armin exclaims. 

Eren replies with mock defense. “Don’t blame me! Levi started it! Plus, we got it all cleaned up, anyway.”

“Oh, I started it, did I? If I remember correctly, it was you who got flour all in my hair in the first place.” I reply, crossing my arms.

“Your memory is failing you, Levi.” Eren states matter-of-factly, smirking. I scoff and roll my eyes, slapping him in the bicep. 

Catherine laughs at our banter, giving us both a smile like brown sugar. “No rough-housing at the table children. If you want to beat each other up, go outside.” She jokes in a tone oh-so motherly. 

Eren’s eyes light up. “Ooh, that gives me an idea!” He stands up starkly from his seat and gives both of our empty plates a good, quick scrubbing in the sink. 

When he comes back over to the counter, he grabs my hand gently and pulls me with him up the stairs. I follow silently, to curious to protest the warm hand wrapped around mine. He leads me to his room and begins to rifle through some clothing in his wardrobe while I stand and watch in confusion. 

When it seems that he has found what he is looking for, Eren lets out a hum of recognition, then turns to press his discovery into my arms. “Sorry if they’re a bit big, but they should fit well enough.” 

I look down at the pile of clothes, mouth hanging open in a silent question as Eren puts his hands on my shoulders and steers me to my room. Just short of the door jam, Eren releases me and darts back to his own room. I look back at him incredulously. 

“What are you doing?” I ask.

Eren doesn’t bother to stop to answer me, and when I do get a reply, it’s from somewhere within the room, far away from the door. 

“You’ll see soon enough!” He says, voice muffled. I have to strain to hear him. 

With that explanation doing nothing to quench my curiosity, I roll my eyes and shake my head, moving back to close the door so I can dress.

I strip out of my pajamas and unfold the clothes he gave me. The t-shirt is black and decorated with the logo of some popular zombie show on TV. The pants are just a pair of simple looking grey sweats. They look warm, the inside of them being lined with thick fleece. I slide them on, enjoying the soft feeling of the fabric against my legs. After I throw the shirt on, which is slightly baggy, I slip on the pair of socks that Eren had provided and finish with my shoes. 

Fully dressed now, I walk out of my room and over to Eren’s, whose door is slightly open. When I peak in, I see his pulling a clean shirt over his head, the rest of him already clothed. I’d be lying if I said my eyes didn’t catch on the sight of his caramel skin and the soft ripples of his tight stomach. 

_Was that a happy trail?_

I shake my head, willing the thoughts from my mind. The clothing does a good job at hiding what is underneath. It’s a shame, really. 

_Damn it, Levi. Cut it out_.

I push the door open the rest to the way, announcing my presence by softly rasping my knuckles in the door and saying, “I’m done getting dressed. Now what?” 

Eren moves back over to his closet to rummage through it yet again. Eventually, he pulls out a worn looking winter jacket. It’s a deep green twill coat and is lined with slightly yellowed sherpa. One of the sleeve cuffs seems to be fraying, a few strands of thread hanging loosely from the seams. Eren also produces a pair of black gloves and a knitted hat, which he plops sloppily onto my head.

“I figured since your coat is still dirty, I’d lend you a new one.” Eren says. He pulls a scarf out and throws it around his neck. “You know, I could wash it for you if you wanted.” He offers politely. 

“Don’t worry about it. It’s dry-clean only, anyway. I can get it to the dry cleaners back home after the holidays.” I slip my arms through the coat, the sleeves just a touch too long. 

Eren slips into his own coat and as I’m zipping mine up, he takes ahold of my arm and drags me behind him again. Our little trip ends up stopping just outside the front door, on the porch. He leaves me there, telling me to stay put for a moment. 

I watch as Eren runs off, only to reappear a few minutes later with a large plastic disk. It kind of looks like a garbage can lid.

“What, are we taking the garbage out or something. You have a strange idea of what fun is.” I ask, giving him a weird look.

Eren laughs. “No, we’re going sledding.” He says like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

Before I can put a word in otherwise, Eren is booking it down the sidewalk with a bright, excited smile on his face. I have to hold back a chuckle the way he’s almost waddling through the snow, the large sled at his side. 

How can I say no to that?

With a soft sigh, I begin to follow him. The snow is thick and powdery; it snowed more than I thought last night. While the cold can definitely be annoying, I have to admit that the freshly fallen snow is pretty. 

The walk Eren leads me on is short. Soon, we’re arriving to the bottom of a hill, centered in a park, the actual playground at the top. He waves me to follow again with his hand and runs as fast as he can to the top. I choose to walk like a normal person. 

“Sorry I only have one sled. Do you want to go down first?” Eren asks as I reach the top. He offers the plastic sled to me.

“No, I’m okay. I don’t really want to sled anyway.” I reply. Sledding isn’t really my thing. Not since I was a kid, anyway. 

Eren looks hurt. “How could you not want to sled?!” he exclaims. “It’s so much fun!” 

“I’m sure it is, I’m just not that into it.” I shrug.

“When was the last time you went sledding?” Eren ask curiously, the start of a pout forming at his lips.

I think for a minute. “Not since I was a kid, I’m sure. I’m just not into winter activities.” I insist.

Eren gasps more dramatically than necessary. Though, this is Eren we’re talking about. “Oh come on Levi! You gotta go down at least once!” Eren nearly begs, taking a step closer. 

He takes both of my hands into his, the sled forgotten on the ground behind him. “How about this, why don’t you go down with me once, and if you still don’t like it, you don’t have to do it any more?” Eren proposes. 

Part of me want to argue, to refuse stubbornly, but the hopeful look on Eren face has me second thinking that decision. 

With a tired sigh, I relent. “Okay. One time, that’s all.” 

Eren jumps in excitement, pulling me by the hand to the sled, which he helps me onto. After I’m situated, I feel Eren sit down behind me, his legs placed on either side of my own. Even through the cold air and thick winter coats, I can feel his warmth seeping into my back as he leans against me for support.

Suddenly, I’m regretting my decision. 

His face is right next to my ear when he speaks. “Ready?” His voice is low and soft, and goosebumps raise under my coat at the sound.

His warm breath makes me shutter, and I have to focus on what he means by his question. 

_Sledding Levi, we’re sledding._

_Right._

I give a quick nod and Eren pushes off with his feet. We don’t go very fast for the first few seconds, but once we hit the steeper incline, we quickly pick up speed. I’m vaguely aware of the arms wrapping themselves around my waist. I try to pay no attention to them, simply accepting their placement.

The faster we go, the more exhilarating the ride becomes. Feeling the prickly, cold air against my cheeks is oddly refreshing. By the time we hit the bottom, I find myself smiling the tiniest bit. I hate to admit it, but Eren was right; this is fun. 

Eren laughs warmly behind me, and I melt back against him. Then he’s standing, offering a hand to help me up. I immediately miss the warmth, but when I look up at him and the soft pink blushing his cheeks, I forget about the cold. His eyes are so warm and fond, oceans of blues and greens speckled with gold, like a sunset cast along the sea. I take his gloved hand, and he pulls me up. My heart is beating fast and hard, and I find myself wanting to do it again, to sled some more. And more than that; to have him close to me like that again. 

Having him so close shouldn’t feel so good, but it does. I’m beginning to struggle to resist it, the thoughts and feelings swirling around in my head. Eren is so different from what I’m used to. He’s young and vivacious, and so full of excitement. I know where feelings like these lead and I feel like I’m in a down-ward tumble. But what scares me the most is that I’m not sure if I want to stop it.

This is ridiculous. Feelings are ridiculous. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for be being a little behind, guys. I just had my wisdom teeth taken out and the meds they gave me for pain makes me really sleepy. I'll try to keep up as best as I can. 
> 
> Enjoy!

  
We end up sledding for most of the afternoon, with Eren experimenting with all the different ways and positions he could sled in. This includes an attempted handstand, which, if you could have guessed, doesn’t go well.

“Dare me to do it.” Eren states, no more explanation than that. 

“What?” I look at him, dusting a bit of snow from my pants.

“Dare me to do it!” Eren insists. 

“Do what?!” I ask, growing impatient. 

“To sled down on a hand stand! Levi, weren’t you listening at all?” Eren asks, pretending to be hurt.

To be frank, no, I hadn’t been listening. Though, I had caught something about a youtube video somewhere in his insistent chattering. I chose to zone out after that. 

I simply nod in acknowledgement. 

“So?” Eren waits impatiently. 

“Eren, I’m not daring you to sled down on a handstand. You’ll hurt yourself.” I thread a hand through my hair. How old was he again? 

“What, you don’t think I could do it? Do you have so little faith in me? I’m offended.” Eren pouts, crossing his arms like an insolent child. 

I give him a sideways look. “Not in the least, sorry.” I say without any real remorse in my tone. 

Eren scoffs and throws the sled to the ground. A determined and rebellious look spawns in his eyes, and I begin to worry.

“Just for that, I’m gonna do it. Get ready to eat your words.” He threatens playfully. 

I roll my eyes, but turn my attention to him as he bends over and places his hands on the sled. With a quick kick of his feet, he’s off. For a moment, to my surprise, he actually does it. Both feet are up and he’s sledding, but then the sled begins to wobble from underneath him as it picks up speed, and soon he’s on his ass, rolling down the hill in a heap of defeat.

I snort when he reaches the bottom, his arms and legs all flailed out around him. He looks up at me with a frown on his face. 

“Maybe you should have worried less about what I was supposedly going to eat, and more about that giant bite of the ground you just took.” I tease, leaning down to pat him on the cheek. 

“Shut up.” Eren says grumpily. However, his frown doesn’t last long. Suddenly he’s reaching up and grabbing me by the hand, pulling me down with him. 

I land with a thud and a rushed breath, my chest directly on top of his. I catch myself with my arms, one on either side of his head. I look down at him with wide eyes and pink cheeks, and he’s just smiling, warm and inviting. 

“Oops.” Eren says playfully. 

I sit up starkly, pushing him away with a groan. Then I try to will the heat from my face and focus on something other than the memory of his chest under mine. 

“You’re an idiot.” I mumble, looking anywhere but him. Eren chuckles lightly as he sits up. Soon, we’re walking back to the house, cold and damp, yet happy.

We bicker about various, unimportant things, but it’s light hearted and without any malice. 

When we return, Eren and I change into dry clothes and get back into making the cookies, decorating them with festively colored icing and sprinkles. A good few of them we snack on, or as Eren likes to put it, “Sacrifice for the sake of quality control.” 

I roll my eyes. We frost cookies for a good while, listening to Christmas music or chatting lightly with each other. 

“Jesus. Just how many cookies did you guys make?” Armin says, coming into the kitchen a while later. 

“I’ve lost count, honestly.” Eren replies, a hint of fatigue in his voice. 

With all the cookies laid out to dry, it really amplified just how many we had made the night prior. Armin shrugs and picks one up, taking a bite of the still-wet cookie. 

He lets out a sigh of enjoyment, humming around his festive treat. “You guys can bake cookies whenever you want, screw the mess. These are good.” Armin jokes as he wanders back out of the kitchen. Eren snorts and gets back to decorating. “You’re welcome!” He calls after the blonde male. 

After a few more minutes and another tray of cookies, Eren sighs loudly, setting down the cookie he had been frosting. “I need a break. Want some hot cocoa?” He asks, wiping green frosting from his hands with a paper towel. 

I look down at my own hands, also stained with colored icing. We had been decorating cookies for a while, we’d almost gotten through all of them, with just a half-dozen or so left. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I agree. 

Eren nods and stands, moving around the granite island covered in dozens of sugar cookies. I stand up too, but move out into the living room to stretch my legs. 

Catherine is sitting on the couch by the fire when I approach. She looks up at me and smiles, then waves me over. I notice a large book in her lap, and the old-looking photos trapped in its clear pages. 

“Want to come look at our family album with me?” She asks, patting the seat right next to her. 

I nod and offer a small tilt of my lips. Catherine has such a warm and inviting aura to her, so to say no to her would feel like a crime. 

I sit down next to her and she turns towards me slightly, sliding one side of the books cover into my lap. I look down at the photos. There are too people in the photo, a man and a woman. The woman looks similar to Catherine, but with a slightly rounder face and small, motherly wrinkles. The man next to her looks to be around the same age, and has an handlebar mustache and what looks like a bowlers hat on his head. 

“These are my parents. George and Elaine Smith.” Catherine says warmly. 

I nod silently, not completely sure how to respond. Catherine turns the page, and I chuckle at the sight of a blond boy in a diaper and a cowboy hat riding a wooden horse. 

“Armin was two in this picture. He loved that horse so much. We still have it, down in the basement. Armin won’t let me do anything with it.” She laughs and I glance quickly over to the blonde in question.

He seems oblivious to our discussion. I snort in amusement.

Catherine shows me many different pictures. Lots of family, and the various pets, holidays and events that they all shared together. 

When Catherine turns to one picture in particular, I find myself speechless. It is a picture of two blonde boys, one obviously older than the other. I can immediately tell that the two boys are Erwin and Armin, but what shocks me is that while I can recognize the younger one to be Armin, the other one looks little like his adult counterpart. The blue eyes and blonde hair is definitely there, but the younger Erwin has a slightly different face shape; more rounded and plump, and is wearing glasses. Though, it could just be lasting baby weight altering his face. 

I choose to ignore the feeling in my gut, instead focusing on the next picture as Catherine turns the page. It’s a picture of Eren, no older than ten years old. His face is youthful and pink, and his eyes seem even larger and bluer, full of child-like wonder. Little fingers hold the sides of his mouth apart in a cheesy grin that makes my stomach flip. 

“Ahh. I remember taking this one.” Catherine muses aloud. I look at the photo for a long moment, and am startled slightly when Eren touches my shoulder softly, offering me a cup of steaming cocoa. I had forgotten about that. 

“Looking over the old family album, huh?” He asks, sipping from his cup. He comes around to the front of the couch and takes a seat next to me. I’m about to reply when a commotion suddenly appears at the front door. I turn to look, and soon the door is opening with a thud, a tall, elderly man holding onto a large mass of fragrant pine needles standing in the doorway. 

“Grandpa!” Eren and Armin shout in unison, getting up quickly from their seats to help the man bring the tree in. 

“Let the annual Arlert-Smith tree decorating celebration commence!” George announces in a gravely voice. 

Catherine closes the photo album and sets it to the side, then turns to me. “Would you mind helping me bring the Christmas ornaments in, dear?” She asks.   
I nod and stand, following her out to the garage. Catherine points up to a large green bin and I help her pull it down. It’s not very heavy, but is large and awkward to hold. I have to lean to the side to be able to see as I walk, and Catherine is kind enough to give me a hand. 

By the time we bring in all the decorations, everyone has gathered in the living room, the tree now standing securely in its stand. The house is warm, but not just from the fireplace, as they all begin swarming around the tree with glittery ornaments in hand. Everyone is smiling, happy, and I find myself smiling along with them. 

I stand back for a second, watching them all as they work. A strange feeling blooms in my chest, one that I can’t quite place, but I don’t totally disprove of. 

It’s been a while since I’ve felt this happy.

Eren breaks me out of my thoughts when he calls my name. He’s holding a popsicle-stick ornament in his hand and has gold tinsel draped around his shoulders. 

“Levi! What are you waiting for?! Come decorate with us!” He beckons, bouncing excitedly on his feet. 

I snort but comply, sauntering over to the group. Eren pulls a gold snowflake from the box and hands it to me. He offers a reassuring smile as I step up to the tree. I survey the tree for a moment, and find a perfect spot near the top. 

I hear Eren tittering as I have to go onto my tip-toes to reach the top, but ignore the teasing offer of a step stool. I simply look back at him with a dirty look, which unfortunately does little to wipe the smug look off his face. 

The evening continues on with flurries of festive tinsel and ornaments of every shape and color. The atmosphere is filled with the smell of pine, cinnamon and joy, bright and floral. Everyone is laughing, chatting amongst themselves in tones full of nostalgia as they look back at all the good things in their lives. 

Eventually, Catherine runs off to the kitchen to make dinner, and once we’ve all had our fill, it’s back to decorating the tree. 

Eren wasn’t kidding when he said this would be a process. 

I choose to sit the second decorating session out, as well as some of the older guests, instead enjoying a warm cup of apple cider and the fireplace. 

I’m beginning to nod off when I jolt awake to someone shaking my shoulder firmly. Eren is smiling at me brightly, a child-like twinkle in his eye. 

“Were all done! What do you think?” Eren asks, gesturing to the tree. 

With all the people rushing around and the decorations scattered throughout the living room, the place looked like a mess, in the kindest sense of the word. But now with the tree complete and everything neat, it is beautiful. 

The tree shines proudly with its colorful lights and reflective, glittery adornments. They did a good job.   
I nod slightly, letting the beginnings of a smile leak onto my face. “Not bad.” 

Eren lights up brighter than the tree, and part of me worries that he’s going to spontaneous combust. 

“Thanks.”

Eren laughs brightly as he turns, heading into the kitchen, but stops for a moment, turning back to me. 

“Hey, that lighting ceremony is ending soon. I’m going to go down to look at it in a little bit, if you want to tag along. By the time we get there, most of the crowd should be gone.” Eren offers, shoving his hands in his pockets casually. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I reply, sipping at my cooling cider. With a nod, Eren skips off into the kitchen, presumably to help Catherine clean up from dinner. 

I sit for a while longer, admiring the tree with a thoughtful look. Memories of the shenanigans of the last few days seeps into my brain, and a smile nudges it’s way onto my face. 

These past few days have been overwhelming, irritating, chaotic and just overall ridiculous. Yet I can’t place the last time I smiled so many times in such a short period of time. 

I’m happy, and that shouldn’t be some profound discovery but it is. I shouldn’t be happier with near strangers than I am with my fiancé, and that’s what scares me.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, it's crazy to think how fast this month has gone, and how close to the end of the story we've gotten. We still have a few more chapters though, don't worry. 
> 
> Enjoy!

  
“You ready?” Eren asks, coming up behind me as I slip my arms into my borrowed coat. 

“Just about.” I reply. When I turn to Eren, I notice a crème colored knit hat on top of his head, a pom-pom placed delicately at the top. Tied to the pom-pom is a sprig of holly and a small bell. 

I scoff. “You look ridiculous.” -ly adorable. 

Eren laughs, the bell ringing slightly as he moves. 

“You think so?” Eren asks smugly, like my distaste for the unnecessarily festive hat is a good thing. He moves his hand towards me, a lump of black, knitted yarn in his palm. “Good, I brought you one too.” 

I look at the hat with more disgust than most people would think necessary regarding a hat. And just like Eren's, a little speck of green peaks out from under his thumb, the bell shining proudly in the light. 

Knowing that there is no use fighting Eren on this, he'll surely win, I grab the hat from his hands with a groan, slapping the offending accessory onto my head. 

Eren laughs heartily, patting the pom-pom with his finger. I’m about to threaten to break it when his fingertips move down to my face, brushing aside a lock of hair that had been shifted into my eyes. I’m silent as he slowly tucks it back into the hat, my fingers picking nervously at the loose threads of the sleeves at my sides. 

Eren drops his hand with a sigh, realizing what he’d been doing. He turns to the front door instead, coaxing me with him. 

“Sorry, it was bugging me.” He says coolly. I try to play it off that I’m not on the verge of hyperventilating. 

I hum in response, not really sure what else to say.   
The first few minutes of walking is quiet. It’s colder than it was before, the night bringing even lower temperatures. I pull the top of the jacket up to cover my nose and try to ignore the smell of Eren all over it. 

When I glance over to him, Eren seems deep in thought. His eyes are slightly glassy and he is working his bottom lip between his teeth thoughtfully. 

“What are you thinking about?” I ask. Eren jumps as if I had scared him, and he gives me a look that makes me even more curious. 

He looks like a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Oh, nothing.” Eren says a bit too eagerly. I raise an eyebrow but don’t push for anything more. We walk for a little more before Eren speaks up again, this time all the embarrassment gone from his tone. 

“There it is.” He says, pointing to a garden-like area right next to a beautiful looking church. There in the field is rows and rows of beautifully lit trees and Christmas decorations. I hadn’t noticed before how close we’d been getting to it, too focused on the man next to me. 

As we get even closer, and begin to move along the designated pathways within the garden, my breathe becomes stuck in my throat. Everything was so beautiful, and reminded me so much of my mother. 

I continue to follow Eren until he leads me to an opening, with the biggest of the trees in the center.

All around it are benches, placed strategically for viewing the magnificent sights. Every tree is glittering brightly in warmly colored lights, each individual light shining as brightly as a star in the sky. 

Slowly, I make my way to one of the benches, sitting down slowly. My heart hurt, yet was so full of happiness and joy. Memories of my beloved mother swim to the surface, and with it tears. Before I know it, a warm, salty tear streaks it’s way down my cheek. 

Eren notices immediately, but surprisingly doesn’t freak out, asking what was wrong and making a big fuss out of it. Instead, he sits down next to me, placing a hand on the middle of my back and rubbing at it tenderly. I find myself grateful to him for it. 

The moment is silent for some time, with just the soft rustle of the trees and the feeling of his hand on my back. But then Eren speaks up.

“My mom was killed in a car accident when I was nine years old. It devastated me. My mom was my everything. I remember my last words with her were angry words. We fought about something stupid, like what I wanted to do when I was older, and I ran off. She came looking for me and was hit by a drunk driver going twenty miles over the speed limit. I hated myself for it for the longest time. I had a temper problem, which only got worse when she died. My father was no help, he was too busy chasing the bottom of a liquor bottle. Because of that, I put all of my problems into my fists. Which is when I met Armin. 

I ended up beating up some kid who was picking on him and became good friends with him. His family decided to adopt me later, when I was 11. 

It was tough, and I owe everything I am to Armin and his family. But I got through it. I know how it feels to loose someone who is close to you. And then I see you, struggling with the memories you’ve tried so desperately to suppress, and I want nothing more than to help you. I want to be there for you.” Eren’s voice is deep and slightly gravely, like he’s struggling to hold back. And more than that, he’s sincere, his voice like a steady pair of hands holding me tightly.

I feel my heart skip and my stomach drop. When I look at him, his eyes are filled with urgency. 

“Eren…”

“And I don’t know what to do, Levi. I’ve never been happier than I have been these last few days. And you’re the reason why.” He says, scooting closer. 

“E-eren.” I say again, quieter this time. My voice begins to shake, my heart beating like a drum. 

“Levi, I just… I…” His gaze stares into mine, trapping me. I only barely take notice of the hand coming up to gently cup the side of my face. 

“I’m tired of shoving aside these feelings, I feel like my heart is going to burst every time I’m near you.”  
His hands move slightly, sliding to gently cradle the back of my head. Eren’s gaze boars into mine, pleading. My heart jumps again, making me feel light-headed. 

Slowly, his face inches closer to me. In slow motion, Eren fills both my vision and my mind, clouding any thoughts I had. 

I catch his gaze dropping for a second, and when I realize that it had been my lips he was looking at, I gulp thickly, anticipation coiling in my gut. 

Before I know it, his nose is nearly touching mine, and I can feel his breath warming my icy skin. My eyes begin to stutter closed, and I find myself leaning into him. 

Just as our upper lips brush against each other, a flash of blonde hair and blue eyes pops into my head.

I sober up instantly, realizing what is about to happen. I jolt back starkly, standing from the bench and taking a few steps back.

“W-wait… I can’t.” I say. Though, it sounds more like I’m trying to convince myself of that instead of Eren. 

Eren stands up as well, following my steps.   
“Why not?” Eren asks, brows furrowed in a frustration.

I look at him incredulously. “I’m engaged Eren.” I say like it’s the simplest concept to understand, despite my struggle to do so myself. 

“I know that, but you can’t say you haven’t felt anything!” Eren says loudly, looking like he wants to both scream and cry at the same time. 

“It doesn’t matter, Eren! I’m getting married. I can’t just split it off with my fiancé because I felt something in the few days I’ve know you!” I exclaim. 

Just as Eren begins to speak again, his phone goes off. He grabs it roughly from his pocket and answers with a gruff voice.

“Hello?” 

I roll my eyes and step away, turning my back to him. I preoccupy myself with looking at the lights, pretending to actually admire them as my head swarms with a barrage of conflicting thoughts. I listen disinterestedly as Eren talks to whoever it is on the other line. 

A few hums later, he hangs up. 

“It was Catherine. Ervin called and said he'll be here in about an hour.” Eren says, voice monotone and disappointed. 

I turn slightly towards him, but avoid looking at him directly. “I’d better head back then.” I say flatly.

Eren is silent up until I reach the end of the pathway. He has to shout for me to hear him, but when he calls my name, I look at him.

“I hope he makes you happy.” He says simply. 

His words send a knife straight through my heart, and when I can’t come up with anything to say in response, all I can do is turn and walk away.

His words ricochet inside my head the entire walk back. I clench my fists, trying to hold myself together.   
I hope he makes you happy.

It hurts more than it should to think about it. And the reason is so plain and simple that it’s ridiculous that I hadn’t realized sooner. But it’s too late now. 

I’m marrying Erwin. I love him. 

I love Erwin. 

I…

I make it back to the house quickly, and when I head inside, everyone is still happy and smiling. When Catherine spots me, she comes to give me a hug and smiles at me warmly. I put on a face and smile back, hiding the strife swirling within my head. 

“Welcome back, Dear. Where’s Eren?” His name hits me like a brick but I ignore it. 

“He decided to stay for a few minutes more.” I fib. I honestly don’t know when he’ll be back. 

My question is answered about twenty minutes later when Eren waltzes in through the front door, heading past me and up the stairs without so much as a glance in my direction. I vaguely hear the sound of his bedroom door closing. 

Catherine sends a concerned look my way, a question forming on her lips. I shrug nonchalantly, not wanting to get into it. 

The next thirty minutes is strange, my mind blank. I take a seat on the couch again, next to the fireplace. Various people attempt to chat with me, but I answer in vague hums and nods. I try to be as polite as I can while still putting my point across; I don’t want to talk. 

A few awkward moments later, I hear the sound of foot steps leading up to the door, and my heart jumps up into my throat. Erwin must be here.

I stand quickly from my seat and make my way over to the foyer. A few others, like Catherine and Armin, follow behind me. When I first see Erwin, his back is to me. Surprisingly, he’s not dressed in a suit for once. Instead, a pair of dark-wash jeans and a plaid button up covers his body. I stride up behind him as he pulls a black jacket from his arms and drapes it on the coat rack.

“It’s about damn time, Erwin.” I say, more irritated than I should be. 

Erwin jumps slightly at the sound of my voice and turns slowly to look at me. The face I’m left with makes me gasp in surprise. 

The blue eyes and blonde hair is definitely there, along with the height, but the face that is looking back at me isn’t Erwin’s. This man’s face is much rounder, with kinder looking eyes and a soft fuzz along his jaw.

I step back cautiously, disbelief filling my mind.

“You’re not…” 

“What’s going on? Who is this?” The faux Erwin says.   
By then, we’d caught the attention of the rest of the family, all looking on in confusion. Catherine comes up to me, glancing between the two of us with a small frown. 

“I don’t understand. This isn’t your Ervin, Levi?” Catherine asks. 

Dread begins to claw around within my stomach as realization dawns on me. “I’ve made a huge mistake.” I say, voice shaking. “Can I use a phone, please?” 

“Of course, honey. Come with me.” She says in a motherly, understanding tone. 

A tight ball of nausea coils itself into my gut, like a snake ready to strike, as I type the familiar numbers into the phone with shaky fingers. I’m so stupid. How could I have made such a huge mistake? 

Luckily, Erwin answers after a few rings. But what I had expected to feel like water dousing a wild fire, Erwin’s voice does little to comfort me. While not mean or angry, his voice carries something condescending as I explain the situation. He laughs as I give him the details of my error and sigh in frustration. 

“You stayed at someone’s place for three days before realizing it was the wrong house?” He asks, thinly-veiled humor in his tone. 

“Just shut up and come get me, Erwin.” I say, tired and frustrated.

I hang up a short moment later, after giving Erwin the address and telling him to hurry his ass up. 

Catherine gives me a small, kind smile as I hand the phone back to her. After another moment, she moves away, leaving me to my own thoughts. 

I just want this whole thing to be over.

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure how I feel about this chapter. I hope it doesn't sound too rushed. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

  
Erwin arrives about twenty minutes after I hang up with him, giving me plenty of time to gather up what little belongings I had with me. I place the borrowed clothes and jackets in a neat pile on the spare bed, and slip into the clothes I’d come in, now freshly washed thanks to Catherine. Other than the lump of metal that used to be my phone, there really wasn’t much of my stuff to gather, since the airport never did find my bags. 

Sooner than later, I find myself huddled outside on the steps, not wanting to intrude now that I knew I wasn’t supposed to be here. So when Armin comes out and takes a seat next to me, I’m surprised to say the very least. 

“Aren’t you cold, just sitting out here, waiting?” He asks, warming his hands with his breath, as if to prove a point.

I shrug. “Nothing I can’t handle. I just want Erwin to get here already.” I say honestly. 

“So, you’re really not engaged to my brother, huh? This is such a strange situation.” Armin shakes his head, but his tone is kind and slightly inquisitive.

I hum softly in agreement. “Yeah.” I say, at a loss for words. What does one even say in a situation like this? 

It's quiet for a moment, neither of us really knowing what to say to the other. But once the silence becomes more uncomfortable than the conversation had been, I decide to add my two-cents. 

“Thanks for letting me stay with you guys. Despite the fact that I feel like an idiot now, these last few days have been nice. I should give Catherine and everyone else my thanks as well. “ I say genuinely. 

“Eren too, yeah?” Armin says, giving me a knowing wink. I look at him strangely, unsure of what exactly he’s hinting towards. 

“Eren’s been pouting in his room ever since you guys got back from the Christmas lights display. I’ve known Eren long enough to know what that means. Plus, you’re not as opaque as you seem to think you are.” He teases lightly. I should probably feel irritated that he seems to be able to look right through me, but I don’t. I sigh and look away from him, rubbing my temples. 

“Are you going to tell me what I should do then, oh wise one?” Armin chuckles lightly, ignoring the sharp tone of my voice. He shakes his head.

“Oh no. I don’t know nearly enough about the situation to do that. But I’ll tell you what I do know…” He starts, not looking at me, instead peering thoughtfully out towards the snow-covered street. 

“… Love is unpredictable, it follows no rhyme or rhythm, and trying to wrestle it into submission will always be a fruitless venture. It’s ruthless, uncaring as to what you think is right. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to let it take you where it knows you belong.” Armin expresses in a soft tone. 

While his little speech makes some sense to me, it only proves to leave me with more questions than I began with. 

“Where I belong? How am I supposed to know that?” I inquire. 

Armin shivers slightly, huddling farther into his coat. He stands a moment later, sighing. Before he speaks, he pins me with a tired smile, crossing his arms. “I think you already know the answer to that, Levi. You don’t need me to tell you.” He shrugs, before turning and heading back inside. 

I sigh wearily, dropping my head into my hands. I’m beginning to get a headache.

Luckily for me, within a few minutes, I hear the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. With a quick glance up, I see Erwin standing from the driver’s seat, all well-groomed and dressed in a suit. I stand quickly, walking to him before being enveloped by a pair of strong arms. 

His warmth and familiar scent quickly calm my mind, but surprisingly does little to uncoil the knot in my stomach. Along with it stays the anxiousness and the tension, making me feel slightly lightheaded. 

“I have never been more glad to see your stupid face.” I say tiredly. 

Erwin chuckles deeply, the baritone sound resonating against my ear as I rest my head against his chest. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to ignore the tight feeling in my chest. We stay embracing for a second longer, and then with a sigh, I release him, looking at the ground all the while. 

“Before we go, I’d like to go say goodbye to the people I stayed with. I’ll be right back.” My voice is low, strained. 

Erwin nods. “Don’t be too long. My parents are dying to meet you.” 

I turn, humming impassively. I hesitate momentarily at the door, unsure if I should knock or not, before deciding to forget it and just go in. Everyone is spread out in the living room, watching some sort of holiday themed movie. Everybody but one, I notice. They all turn to look at me as I enter, faces full of sympathetic smiles. Catherine stands, smiling herself. 

“Erwin is here, so I’d better go. I just wanted to thank you all. You’ve all been so kind to me, I’m grateful.” I murmur just loud enough for them all to hear.

Catherine comes to stand in front of me, Mark following shortly behind her. She looks at me sadly, then envelops me with her arms, effectively pulling me in for a hug. 

“Oh, I’m going to miss you, Levi. You were a joy to have with us these last few days.” She says, tightening her grip on me slightly, fondly, before releasing me. 

Mark comes up after, patting me lightly on the arm. “Merry Christmas, son.” 

Everyone takes their rounds, with either a hug or a handshake. I have to admit that I’m going to miss them all as well, they were all so welcoming. Lastly comes Armin, affixing me with a kind smile. 

“It was nice to meet you, Levi. I wish it was under different circumstances, of course, but I really liked having you here.” His smile widens as he pins on a final thought. “I’m sure I’m not the only one.” He says, nodding his head towards the stairs.

I know instantly who he’s referring to, and with a quick nod and a final goodbye, I start making my way up the stairs, heartbeat rising with every step I take. 

Part of me wants to forget about it and turn, leaving him, and hopefully my feelings, behind. But another, louder part of me refuses to let me turn, forcing me up the stairs and to a closed door. 

I raise my fist, shaking lightly, and rasp my knuckles along the wood. I moment later, I hear Eren’s voice. It sounds rougher than usual, almost gravely, and I can’t seem to figure out a reason why. 

When he opens the door, the first thing I notice is the fine sprinkling of wood dust covering him, from the white tank top he’s wearing, to his hands, to his hair. If I look closely enough, it looks like he might have some in his eye lashes as well. The second thing I notice is his expression. He’s looking at me with thinly veiled surprise, like he hadn’t been expecting to see me again. 

“I just wanted to thank you, for everything. I really enjoyed my time here.” I say awkwardly. 

Eren’s expression falls, a sad smile filling his face instead. “Yeah.” He says finally. 

I take a step back, raising my arm to wave weakly at him. “Goodbye, Eren.” I reply, ignoring the sharp feeling in my chest as I say it. He waves back, just as pathetically, and affixes me with a sorrowful look. 

I turn quickly, my heart aching all the while, and make my way back down the stairs. I receive a few waves as I move towards the front door, and with one final look back, I open the door and thrust myself out into the cold. Erwin’s there, waiting for me in the car, and just as I’m about to open the passenger side door and get in, I hear the front door fly open and someone call my name, urgency filling their tone. 

“Levi! Wait!” Eren shouts, running after me and nearly slipping on the ice. His arms are bare, implying his haste out of the door. I stop and turn to him, but my feet stay planted. He slows his approach, stopping right in front of me. 

“Before you go, I want to give you this.” He says, teeth chattering from the frigid temperature. He holds out his hand, a small, rectangular object wrapped in festively printed paper, in his palm. As I take it, I notice the multiple bandages covering Eren’s fingers.

Had those been there before?

I look down at the present curiously. “Eren. What-?” I begin, but he cuts me off, rubbing my shoulder tenderly. 

“Merry Christmas, Levi.” He turns before I can say anything and heads back inside, leaving me with a swirling mess of questions in my head. I tuck the gift into my pocket and turn, finally climbing into the car and letting the heater warm my skin and calm my nerves. 

Erwin says little of importance the whole drive to his parents house. He mostly just teases me about my mistake, to which I quickly tell him to fuck off. 

Eventually, Erwin pulls up to a modern looking house. It’s sleek and angular, and seems to fit Erwin’s personality perfectly. The decorations are minimalistic, with just a few strands of white led lights adorning the house. 

Erwin turns off the car and gets out, silently coming around to open my door for me. I stand slowly, a migraine muddling my coordination. Erwin leads me inside with a hand on my back and introduces me to his parents. 

His mother is tall, slim, and has long, grayish-white hair. His father, also tall, looks exactly like what Erwin would look like in thirty years. It’s no mistake, these are definitely Erwin’s parents. 

“Mother, Father. Meet Levi, my fiancé.” Erwin says, almost formally, like he’s talking to colleagues instead of family. The two look me up and down, but offer a small smile each. I figure it’s the best I’m going to get.

“Welcome, Levi. I have to say, I was very surprised when Erwin suddenly told me he was engaged earlier today, but I’ve heard much about you since then. You seem swell.” His mother says, again in an impersonal tone. 

His father speaks up next. “Well, dinner should just be about done, so why don’t we all move this to the kitchen and enjoy a meal, hmm?” He says, turning before we even have to time to accept his offer. 

The night moves at a snail's pace, void of any homely comfort or genuine friendliness. Everything is so formal and stark, like a pre-rehearsed act. 

I learn that Erwin's mother, Marie, has a passion for birdwatching, but pay little attention to the rest of the conversation. Half way through my plate, I set my fork down and clear my throat.

“Thank you both for the meal, but I’m quite tired, so I think I’d like to go to bed. I’ll see you both in the morning.” I say as politely as I can, and nudge Erwin.

“Could you show me to the bedroom, please?” I murmur. He nods and stands, following after me up the stairs. Once we reach the room, he pulls me to him. 

“I missed you.” He whispers softly into my ear. I hum in response, indifferent. Erwin takes hold of my chin and makes me look at him. His eyes are dark and appreciative as he speaks. “Is someone grumpy?” He asks, teasing. 

I roll my eyes and flinch as he leans down to kiss me softly. He runs his hands through my hair and down my neck. Soon, he’s beginning to lift my shirt, groping my hip. Knowing what he’s going after, I quickly break off the kiss and pull my shirt down. Erwin pins me with a confused look.

“I really am tired. Sorry.” I say plainly. His hands drop to his sides and he relents, nodding. 

Then he turns, leaving me alone in the room. The silence is welcomed as I begin to strip, heading to the bathroom in search of a shower. I lay my coat on the bathroom counter lazily and throw my clothes into what I assume is a laundry basket. 

I stay in the shower for longer than necessary, letting the hot water run down my back long after I’d finished washing myself. Eventually, the water begins to chill, and I know it’s time to get out. With no clean clothes, I dig through Erwin’s dresser, still dripping wet. Soon I find a plain cotton shirt and a pair of black boxers and quickly get dressed, eager to slip into bed and let sleep silence my mind. 

Luckily for me, it comes quickly. I only wake momentarily when I feel a second body climbing into the bed next to me. It stays on its own side and settles quickly as I fall back into unconsciousness. 

My dreams that night are filled with the smell of citrus-cinnamon, wood shavings and glittering green eyes. 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas Eve everyone!
> 
> I'd like to just address a couple things about this chapter. First, I apologize if the personalities of Erwin's parents aren't very in character for how they might have been in canon. I really wanted to exaggerate the type of household Erwin grew up in, and hopefully explain some of his quirks. 
> 
> Also, I have absolutely nothing against Erwin. I truly believe that Erwin had Levi's best interests in mind in this chapter, even if his actions didn't necessarily portray that. 
> 
> Lastly, I'm sorry if the ending seemed a little rushed or cut off. This is the first time I've completed a multi-chapter fic, so I'm not very good at it. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

  
The sheets are cold and vacant when I awake, leaving me feeling much the same. I sit up slowly, hanging my head and running my hands over my face. Sleep did little to rid me of my headache, and as I stand, I feel the tell-tale crackling of my joints, indicating a poor nights sleep. 

The bed itself doesn’t look much better, the blankets so turned and twisted it looks like I had used the bed as a trampoline while I slept. 

With my shoulders slumped and my head still low, I begin to get dressed. I end up digging through Erwin’s dresser again, in search of clean clothes. Once I find something that would fit fairly enough, despite our height difference, I throw it on and begin making my way down the stairs. 

Coffee is the first thing I smell, which isn’t at all unwelcome. It takes ahold of me, still in a sleepy hunch, and guides me down. It leads me to Erwin, who is standing tersely in front of the coffee machine, pouring himself a cup. His clothing is crisp and concise, his hair neat. He looks clean-cut, polished and incredibly uncomfortable. I haven’t really noticed it before now; the fact that even in the most casual of settings, like in his own parents house on Christmas morning, he still finds the need to uphold his Business-man guise. Now that I think about it, I find it kind of odd. 

I shake my head, clearing the thoughts away. By now, Erwin has sensed my presence, and when he turns, he addresses me with a “Good Morning" and a charming smile. I nod in reply, pulling a coffee cup from the cupboard and pouring myself a cup of the dark liquid as well. 

“Merry Christmas.” Erwin says cheerfully, looping his arm around my waist. While I don’t pull away, I don’t lean in either. I stay still, slightly tense, as I pour my cup. 

“Merry Christmas.” I say automatically, voice monotone. 

Erwin gives me a weird look, to which I ignore, until he’s asking me about it. “Is something wrong?” He asks carefully. “You’re even grumpier than usual.” 

I sigh tiredly. “No, nothing is wrong. I’m just tired and my head hurts.” 

Erwin frowns at me sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Levi. But don’t worry too much longer, I think I have something that just might cheer you up.” Erwin says, smiling down at me a little too smugly for my taste. 

“What did you do now?” I ask apprehensively. 

“You’ll just have to wait and see, huh? It’s a surprise.” He says, feigning innocence. I roll my eyes when he isn’t looking. 

Erwin says no more after that, instead making his way into the living room. He sits causally onto the couch as I lean against the entryway between that and the kitchen. From there I can see Erwin’s mother, dressed in a light blue house dress with her graying hair up in curls. She’s reading the paper, a set of dainty reading glasses perched on the tip of her nose, when she notices me. 

She greets me with a nod and goes back to the news paper as she speaks. “Morning dear.” Her voice is light and soft, but something about it feels cold, impersonal. For a moment, I wonder if she even likes me or not. 

I sigh, deciding not to care, and move out into the living room myself, proceeding to take a seat a short distance for Erwin on the couch. 

Erwin clears his throat. “Shall we begin exchanging gifts, Mother?” He asks politely. She pins him with an impatient look, and sets down the paper, where she appears to be filling out a cross word puzzle. 

“Fine. Let me go get your Father, he’s probably working in his study.” She stands, and brushes off her lap with a hand before walking away. 

Once she’s out of ears reach, I speak up. “Is it just me, or does she not like me?” Erwin scoffs, chuckling in that baritone voice of his.

“You’re being ridiculous. I’m sure she adores you, she’s just not the most affectionate of people.” He says. His explanation does little to change my opinion on the matter though. 

Erwin’s mother comes back into the living room a short moment later, her lips a tight line. Behind her is her husband, looking equally as amused, if the frown lines on his face are anything to go by. When I glimpse the laptop cradled in his left arm, I have a good idea about the reason for the sour mood. 

Erwin is more like his father than I could have ever imagined. Especially since I could bet money that Erwin’s business phone is tucked somewhere in that sleek suit of his, ready to take a call should one come through. 

“Let’s get this show on the road, then. Shall we?” Erwin’s father says dully, like stepping away from his work for a moment to spend a holiday with his family is some mountain of a burden.

I watch quietly as the Smiths begin exchanging gifts, and throughout the morning, I accumulate a small pile of gifts of my own. An expensive looking Oxford shirt from Erwin’s mother, a elegant watch from his father, and a cologne set from the man himself. 

“I hope you like it, Levi. I’m sorry it was so short notice.” Erwin’s father says to me. 

“No, no. It’s wonderful. It's far more than I could have hoped for. Thank you.” I say automatically. 

The older pair smile at me, nodding. With a clearing of his throat, Erwin speaks up, the beginning of smile forming on his face. He turns to me as he speaks. 

“There’s one more thing I’d like to give you, Levi. I really think you’re going to like it.” I watch cautiously as he slips his hand into his jacket, bringing out a sealed envelope. He hands it over to me, smiling brightly in anticipation. 

I look down at the envelope, the front donning my name in a neat script that is clearly Erwins. I open it slowly, sliding my finger along the inner flap, carefully tearing the seal. Inside is a few pages of what look like paper work. The first looks like some sort of business transaction application, already all filled out, aside from a signature, next looks like a lease application, again with everything but a signature. The last paper, and the one that makes my stomach drop, appears to be a deed transfer application. When I look at the address of the deed, I recognize it immediately.

It’s the address of my mother’s antique store.  
I look up at Erwin dangerously, silently asking for an explanation. 

“I know you’ve been indecisive in the past about selling, but this is a one in a lifetime opportunity. This is what I was working on before I flew down here.”  
I look at him, brows furrowed and lips a tight line.

 _What is he doing_?

“I had someone offer big bucks, way more than the lots worth, and couldn’t resist. With that money you could lease a new shop along the main strip. You’d be getting three times the business.” Erwin says enthusiastically. 

By now, I’m seething with rage, just barely able to contain myself. “Erwin, could I talk to you alone please?“ I ask, voice low and surprisingly calm.

Erwin's smile drops, but he agrees, following behind me as I stalk up the stairs. Once we’re behind closed doors, I let my anger loose, pinning him with a venomous glare. 

“What the fuck are you thinking, Erwin?! What makes you think you can just try to sell my shop without even talking to me about it first?” I ask, voice just shy of yelling. 

“I didn’t say anything to you about it because I knew you’d refuse. I know what I’m doing, Levi, I always have. This will be so good for your business, can’t you see that?” He says, completely calm and sure of himself. 

“And what about all the memories, then? That shop is one of the only things I have left of my mother. Don’t you even give a shit about that?” My voice begins to shake, the idea of losing something so close to me all over again filling me with panic. 

“Think of all the new memories we'll make, you and I. Don’t you think this is what your mother would have wanted? For you to expand and grow? Look at this from my perspective. That old shop is holding you back.” He says. His words feel like a knife through my heart. 

“Don’t you even begin to even fucking talk about what you think she would have wanted. You don’t know shit about her, and you apparently don’t know shit about me either. I don’t do this for the money, Erwin, I do this because it’s the only thing left holding me to her!” I yell, tears beginning to well in my eyes. 

“Levi! Listen to me!” He says, his inflection more like he’s trying to calm a child than his own fiancé.

I ignore him. “Get out.” I say, somehow able to keep my voice level. 

He presses the papers against my chest. “At least think about it. Please, Levi.” He pleads. 

“GET OUT.” I say, louder this time. I watch as he backs away slowly, putting his hands up defensively. Just before he opens the door to leave, he throws the papers onto the bed. “Please.” He says once more before closing the door behind him. 

I stride up to the papers and quickly take them into my hands, before shredding them and flinging the pieces towards the door. 

“Fuck you.” I spit out quietly. 

I take a few deep breaths, trying fruitlessly to calm myself down. How could he even think of selling my shop? I thought we were over this, I thought he loved me enough to know better. 

A knot forms in my stomach, and an ache in my chest forces me to the verge of tears. With quick, labored breaths, I make my way to the bathroom, in search of the jacket I had left in there the night before. The cold weather should hopefully calm me down, and a walk sounds nice. 

I pull it on quickly, and immediately take notice of the small solid object in the right hand pocket. I pull it out curiously, and when I see the festive wrapping paper, I gasp. 

It’s the gift Eren had given me just before I left the Arlert's last night. I’d completely forgotten about it. With shaking fingertips, I begin to unwrap the box. With all the paper off, I take a good look at it, and as I realize what it is, my breath gets caught in my throat.

The small wooden box sitting in my palm is carved beautifully with small, incredibly detailed vines and a charming humming bird. Slowly, with bated breath, I open the box, revealing the metallic mechanisms of the music box. After a few turns of the handle, it’s melody begins to fill my ears, bringing the tears back to my eyes full force. 

It’s the song. 

Remarkably, the song playing from the music box is the same as the one that played from my mother’s. Somehow, Eren had been able to identify the song that had so much meaning to me with little more than a little bit of badly interpreted humming. Not only that, he’d also been able to make it into the box I’m holding now. 

Tears begin to flow freely from my eyes now, and the knot in my chest begins to uncoil, replacing itself with a familiar warmth. Of all the mistakes I'd made the last few day, the biggest one was turning my back on my own happiness. Armin was right. 

I bring the box up to my lips, kissing it tenderly. Quickly, I close the box and place it back into my coat pocket. With a quick glance back down at my hands, I remove the ring from my finger and place it gently on the bathroom counter. Then, in a rush, I begin to gather up my stuff, slip my shoes on and sneak out the front door, past Erwin and his parents chatting in the living room.

Then I’m running, faster than I’d ran in a while. I run and run, with only a vague understanding of my surroundings, until I can see the start of the Christmas lights display just a few blocks away. Despite the burning in my throat, I keep running, past the walk way lined with trees and lights, all the way to the center where the benches encircle the biggest of them all. 

I stop just short when I take notice of the figure standing in front of it, his back facing towards me. His soft chestnut hair rustles with the breeze and my heart begins to race even faster in my chest. 

“E-eren.” I say out loud, breathless. 

Eren jolts around, startled by my presence. He looks at me in surprise, like he can’t decide if I’m really there or not. Slowly, I take a step forward, and then another, until I’m walking briskly towards the other man. Eren steps back slightly, unsure of what is about to happen, and when he’s within arms reach, I take hold of the back of his neck, pulling him down to me without a moment of hesitation. 

Our lips collide, interlocking with each other in a way that feels far too perfect to be real. I feel Eren gasp against my lips before relaxing, pulling me closer to him by wrapping his arms around me tightly. The moment seems to last forever, just the two of us blissfully embracing each other. My heart never stops it’s heavy beating, and a feeling of happiness fills my being as Eren softly traces my cheek bone with his thumb. 

For the first time in a long time, I feel truly happy, and as long as I have Eren right here with me, nothing can change that.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is Shingeki-no-erens-butt. Follow me if you'd like!


End file.
